How Much Is One Girl Worth
by LittleWolfBlood
Summary: Tony somehow finds himself at his friend's high school reunion. He encounters a girl who becomes a victim of a cruel prank and does his best to protect her. But is one girl really worth the end of the world? Especially sine one cranky god has already claimed dibs on her. A Tony x OC and a bit Loki x Oc
1. Chapter 1

With my head in my hand and a large, drawn-out sigh leaking out from my lips, I tried to understand what the hell I was doing. I, Tony Stark, was going to a High School reunion that wasn't even my own. A week ago I had ran into one of my old friends in high school. I wasn't in school at the time and was just visiting, looking for some useful scientists. That was when I ran into little Sara. A small blond with thick glasses and a love for the environment that was so strong you had to think she was Mother Earth. I had wanted to recruit her to my company and tried to take her out to dinner just to get flat out rejected at both offers. She told me that she wanted to work privately and that she had only interests in women, which made me even more interested in her. For the full year I would come by and have some interesting discussions about the similarities of nature and science. It wasn't long until we became very close friends and made the title to 'The Only Woman That Has Not Bed Me.' She laughed at the title.

After she graduated from High School she decided to move and travel around the world. I waved goodbye and thought little about her after that day until I ran into her at a liquor store. I will be honest, I was slightly buzzed when I ran into her and somehow got her to buy me some expensive rum and whisky. We talked and caught up later that night at a nearby park, just hanging out together. She later told me about her reunion and invited me to be the host. Being slightly drunk as I was at the time I agreed and so here I was. L.A., California. I loved the state but not for the reasons as much. Sara is one of the few people in this world that I would do anything for with no questions asked, obviously. She probably known that too when she convinced me to attend this party tonight.

I lifted my head up and looked out the tinted window of the limo, gazing at the Palm Trees and the slightly clouded sky as we slowly drove by. The stars were just barely shining tonight. I loved the stars in California. You couldn't see the stars in New York because of the lights from the city, not like it was much better here, but they still found a way to prove their existence. I would be reaching the school soon, too soon if you asked me. I had nothing to drink prior to the evening which was probably why I was a little on edge. The strong liquor of whisky would've loosen me up but I was neglected anything when I reached my mansion. I forgot that I had drank that place dry the last time I was here and forgot to restock when I left. I made sure to inform JARVIS to fill my storage up to the door while I was here. My package of nerve-releasers would be here by tomorrow morning, which I was grateful for.

The limo rest to a gentle stop so I pulled myself from my thoughts and looked around the area of the parking lot. I was suppose to stay hidden and wait for Sara. She was going to surprise everyone with my visit, her idea not mine. Another sigh was heard with a mixture of fingers drumming my thigh and my right foot tapping the carpeted floor. I just wanted to get this over with as fast as I could. I would love to hang out with Sara, no problem with her it's just everyone else I had a slight problem with. But for her, I would put up with them and try to enjoy myself.

_'Tap, tap!' _My head shot to the window and looked right into the beautiful blond with green eyes standing right outside. "Tony! Glad you could make it!" She stepped aside as I opened the door, a few joints popping in the process. A small smile formed on my face as I looked over Sara. She had worn a champagne colored dress that reached her knees. A small, black belt rested on her hips with a black, leather bracelet on her left wrist to match. I looked up and my smile grew even bigger to see that she still wore the same thick glasses on her petite nose. "You look dashing, Tony."

I lifted my arms up and hugged my old friend. "I'm glad to see you little flower." She chuckled and hugged my tightly before pulling away. "You do have a plan for how this is suppose to play out for me, right? I'm not big on these kinds of things you know."

Sara nodded her head and wrapped her arm around mine, leading me to the school that she grew up in. Nothing had changed since the last time I came here, her graduation day. "Yes I do. I will do most of the talking so you don't need to worry. All you have to do is stand there, look good, and hand out the rewards. Easy enough, right?" I nodded gratefully, I was not in the mood to have the twenty thousand questions followed by a speech about a great year or something along those lines. "I will warn you that there will not be any alcoholic drinks allowed tonight." My eyes widen and I looked down at her as we reached the front doors. Her goofy smile perked up and she looked up. "But I was able to sneak a flask filled with your favorite. That is all you will be having tonight until the party ends."

I bent down and hugged her again, picking her up and did a little twirl. "Oh, god! Thank you little flower! That is all I will be needing!" I placed her down and we both shared laughter as we walked inside and got everything prepared for tonight.

* * *

We had spent a good two hours just talking and hanging out before we did anything productive. The teachers and volunteers had set up the balloons with paper streamers wearing the school's colors. Ironically, red and gold. I watched a couple of kids placing tables and chairs in the large room. Golden cloths covered the tables and red bowls with matching cups were placed on top.

I was mildly surprised how fast everyone was working and it wasn't long until everything was set up and ready for the already graduated students to arrive. My fingers were wrapped around the sliver flask in my hand as I took another quick swig of the strong whisky. The sweet burn of the poison ran down my throat like velvet. I was actually not having a bad time. Sara was busy getting all of the awards set and ready along with her short speech. The aroma of sandwiches and hot dip pulled me away from Sara. My feet lead me to the table with the different assortment of food. I new that if I was to be drinking a little I would need to get something solid in my system as well. I stopped and looked over my choices. There was chips n' dip, little finger sandwiches, cupcakes, cookies, and fruit punch. I reached over to pick up a red plate, placing a small handful of chips with a drizzle of the nacho sauce over it. My eyes darted over to the mix assortment of the gold and red cupcakes before I finally gave in and grabbed one of each color. I pealed off the wrapped and didn't hesitate to shove half of it in my mouth. The vanilla and lemon flavors mixed in with the whisky after taste. Not a well mix to try out by-the-way. I swallowed it all and found that the cake absorbed the whisky so I shoved the rest of the cake in my mouth before I felt a small tap on my shoulder. My head turned around to eye a scrawny boy of about fifteen looking up at me with wonder and awe. "Are you...Tony Stark?"

I swallowed the cake and debated on what to do. I was suppose to stay hidden and now I was caught...red-handed, funny right? No? Whatever...

The young boy handed me a yellow napkin and I took it with a grateful smile. I used it to wipe my face clean. "Yes I am, you are?" The boy seemed to glow and I was shocked when he began jumping up and down. "Are you alright kid?"

His head bounced up and down before he finally calmed himself down. "Yes...sorry about that sir, I'm a huge fan of you and yourself as Iron Man." He broke into a large toothy smile that showed me his braces. "I'm Billy, it's a honor to met you in person." He held out his hand with such confidence. I found myself smirking and grasp his hand tightly, giving him a good, strong shake.

"Nice to met you Billy. Just between you and me," I leaned down and cuffed my hand around my mouth, motioning that I was going to tell his a secret. "I am not suppose to be noticed until my friend introduces me later after the party has started. I don't suppose you want to help me sneak some of these treats in the back with me before we get caught?" I raised a eyebrow and he was frozen for a second. His head snapped around to look for anybody that could be watching, I did the same thing. Once we agreed that no one was looking we grabbed a couple of plates filled with chips n' dip and cupcakes before we snuck around to the back room where I was suppose to wait in. Billy stayed close to my side and followed in the room.

We sat around and began to munch down on our stolen food. He was a very bright kid who was going to graduate high school in two years. He told me how he took a interest in studying atoms and had a strange idea to manipulate atoms to create portals. This kids dreams were larger than my ego but he had enough faith in himself to catch my attention. "Hey Billy." He looked up as he bit into a cupcake, letting crumbs into his lap. "You are a bright kid, how would you feel about working for me when you graduate?" Silence filled the room as he stared at me, watching me to say something like, 'Just kidding!'

Billy placed the cupcake on the plate and wiped his mouth with a napkin before he broke into a large grin that reminded me for the mischievous god who attacked us a few months back, Loki. "I would be honored Mr. Stark!" He jumped forward and grabbed my hand to shake it like a maniac. He had spirit and a lot of confidence, I liked that so I got his information and messaged JARVIS to keep his information in the data base for two years. We continued to talk and he occasionally asked a question about the Avengers and what it was like to work with everybody on the team. Hours went by and Billy had to leave so I said farewell and cleaned myself off before I would be making my appearance.

* * *

It was getting late and pretty much everyone had shown up now. I was standing on the stage next to Sara as we were gossiping about her former classmates behind the curtins. She lifted her hand and pointed to a rather chubby guy with thin hair. "That is Stevie. He use to be a real heartbreaker during my junior year. Legend says that he once had slept with eleven girls in one week." We both snickered and giggled. That was nothing for me but I was enjoying making fun of people I didn't know. She gasped and pointed to a very scrawny girl who looks like she hadn't eaten anything in a month. That is very unattractive for me. "That would be Melissa. She was Stevie's favorite skank. We were all sure that she had a few kids with him with how much they would have sex over the years. I heard that she got caught with some illegal drugs."

I shivered at her figure and tore my eyes from her to look over the rest of the kids. Most of the men were somewhat formally dressed and the women wore skimpy dresses. Almost all black and a few red colors could be seen. Conversations were held at every corner of the room, leaving nobody free from the noise. After a minute went by everyone just suddenly stopped talking. I just figured that the time for Sara's spotlight had finally come around but when I looked down I watched as she was lost for breath. Her eyes were locked on somebody in the crowed so I tried to follow her eyes, that's when I spotted the small spot of white. In the middle of the room was a young woman wearing a white dress that resembled a old Victorian noble. It was slit on the side and white lace ruffled down the side. She supported black, laced booted that reached her knees. My eyes looked closer to see her face, and oh man her face. She was a perfect white-cream color, not pale. Her hair was a darker shade of black, if even possible, and was supporting a pixie cut. Thin strips of her black hair shaped her small face, giving her skin a light glow. I was at a lost of words for this woman, and clearly so was everybody else. My hand reached up to pull Sara back. "Who is she?!"

Sara shifted uncomfortably, playing with her fingers and began to chew on her bottom lip, a very attractive stance had I not been awestricken by that unknown woman. Her green eyes looked up before she began to push me off the stage and back to my hiding room. Once the door was shut she crossed her arms and looked at me with serious eyes. "That would be...Riley Janssen..." I stayed silent and raised my left eyebrow, clearly not understand what the problem was. Sara sighed and flung her arms to her sides. "She was known as a witch. She would have a episode almost everyday." I placed my hands in my pockets and leaned closer to her.

"What do you mean, witch? I had never heard of her or her 'episodes' during the time I visited." Sara seemed slight shocked by this and rubbed her chin.

"Well you must have been lucky...anyway, the kids at school would constantly bully her to no end since elementary school. Nobody knew her parents or siblings, if she even had any. She was the definition of a outcaster. She seemed like a normal girl until a little incident during recess that she was forever known as a witch." She stopped and closed her eyes before she continued. "She was by herself, drawing on the ground with white chalk. She didn't catch anybody's attention but some punk kid just randomly came up to her and poured his water bottle over her chalk drawing. Kids will always be kids but she had spent a long time drawing to just have it wash away by a brat." Sara opened her eyes again and looked down at the ground, reliving that day in her eyes. "Riley cried out and without touching the kid, she flung him across the pavement and into a pole...killing him on contact." I cringed and tried to imagine a little girl throwing a boy with her mind, killing him in the process. "As kids we saw her as a witch and kept our distance...until we reached high school. Then everything went downhill for her. She was the main target for all bullies. She never hurt anybody else but she damn well showed us that she could. She would make things fly or throw deadly objects at people."

"Didn't anybody report the strange behavior? It sounds like she has telekinesis to me." Sara shrugged her shoulders. "There is something you're not telling me."

Sara stayed silent for a few seconds before spilling the beans. "The cops were called the first week of freshmen year, it was a complete disaster. Cops were severely injured but there was no deaths. Apparently a girl stolen her wallet and when she tried to get it back she was kicked down to the ground. Riley didn't take to kindly to it and attacked the girl, breaking both of her arms. The police was called and she pushed them back, telling them to go home and that she would kill if they didn't leave her alone." I sighed and took my hand to run my fingers through my hair. "Everybody was too scared to call for help again, if someone had bullied her then it was their death wish but over time people found out that she refused to hurt anybody and began to push her over the edge again."

I was pissed off. This girl was completely alone in this world. No family, no friends...I felt really bad for her but I would have to give her props for being so strong. She managed to not kill anyone and stand tall with her head held high. That is hard to do when you are continuously kicked to the ground, over and over again. This Riley Janssen is a strong woman and I hope that she has the best going for her. A knock on the door told us that the time had come. Sara excused herself, warning me about my surprise appearance. I nodded and turned to the mirror, looking over myself and trying out my smile before I walk out.

* * *

"Hello and welcome everybody!" A loud rupture of applause echoed in the audience as I stood behind the curtain, waiting for her signal. Riley Janssen was still locked in my mind for some reason. I couldn't stop thinking about her. Her story and what she looks like now. "I have the awards here for those who have accomplished so much in such little time!" I had to get ready, my part in this act was coming up. "For now let's start with-"

I poked my head out with a bored expression. "Sorry to interrupt." Woman squealing and gasps went off instantly followed by a applause that was ten times louder that Sara's. "I hope you don't mind but my car broken down and I was hope for a ride tonight." Sara eyed me. That was not what I was suppose to say but I had to spice it up. Women continued to squeal and I saw in the corner of my eye that a few hands were raised. I smiled and turned to face them all, waving and gazing at people who were staring at me like I was a figment of their imagination.

Sara chuckled. "I would like to personally introduce, Tony Stark. He will be passing out the awards to our fellow classmates." My eyes found Riley who stood off to the side, holding a red cup gingerly close. For a brief moment, our eyes were locked and I watched as she raised a questioning eyebrow at me. "So, Mr. Stark..." I slightly jumped and looked over to Sara and smirked.

"Did you want to be in control? I was not informed that I was the one _on top _on things here." She gave me a death glare as I gave a sleazy pickup line. If I was to be dragged here then I was going to damn well have fun with this. "Anyway, I want to congratulate you all for getting this far in life, you did better than my secretary." A few chuckles were heard and I moved closer to Sara. "Ladies first.~"

Sara sigh with a smile and picked up a list. "Right, first off...I want to give the first award and that is for the person who hand the most success."

I couldn't help myself and turned to face her. "I was not aware that you were going to be giving little old me a award tonight. I'm flattered." Everyone laughed and Sara chuckled too.

"Oh no Mr. Stark, this award is not for you but I think we did get you one for 'the most times of losing consciousness and finding themselves in the wrong bed.'" Everyone laughed even harder.

I placed my hands behind my back and rocked on my heels a bit. "Touché." She went back to her list and read off the name. I didn't pay attention until she passed over the slip of paper that was printed with the award's meaning and the name. A beefy man jumped up. The first thing I noticed was that he was bald, and shiny. He grinned and shook my hand before I smiled and handed his award over to him, calling his some unpleasant names in the process. Sara continued to the next award and the next. Several men and a few women came up, shook my hand, took the award, and returned to their seats.

"Okay, the next award is to the most famous artist..." I glanced over and watched as her hands shook slightly. "This award goes to...Riley Janssen..." My head snapped over to the woman in the shadows, along with everybody else in the room. She didn't move for a second before she finally took a step forward. She took slow and graceful steps towards the stage. I was watching her and I took mental note that she watched me as well. When she reached the stairs and began to walk up I caught the sight of the scrawny girl named Melissa snicker and pointing up to the roof. My eyes followed to where she was pointing and I could barely see the silver circle before it suddenly tipped, dropping watery mud all over Riley. She was very shocked as her eyes fell one me. Dark brown eyes looked at me with horror when she slipped and fell on the stage. Sara threw her hands to her face and gasped before every began to laugh uncontrollably. My eyes stayed glued to Riley. Her head was hung, her hair clinging together as water and mud covered her completely. Her beautiful white dress was now a mixture of brown and black. He left ankle was twisted at a odd angle and her elbow were cut up from the fall. Once I was able to process what had happen I was finally aware of the laughter, making my anger boil far over.

"ENOUGH!" The whole room went silent. My fists balled up and I barred my teeth as I sneered at everyone in the room. "What the HELL is wrong with all of you?! Don't you think she had enough of this?!" I walked over and shrugged off my coat. Her head lifted up, her eyes were growing red as tears were threating to run down. "Here, let me help you." I took my coat and wrapped it around her shoulders, not giving a single damn that I was out one coat or that my crappy knees were digging into the sharp, wet rock on the ground. Riley didn't move and allowed me to pick her up with both of my hands. She was as light as a feather but shivering cold. I looked over to the crowd before facing Sara. "I'm leaving, I'll talk to ya' soon." She nodded her head and faced the crowd as I walked off the stage with the young girl in my arms. She didn't speak a single word or even whimper even though she looked like she was going to. Blood found their way from her exposed skin down her arms, pooling into the dirty dress. I walked out the back door and walked over to the limo, hoping in with her still in my arms. "We need to get you to the hospital." Her head shook frantically.

I looked down at her tired eyes. She didn't want to go but still refused to speak. I went over the options in my head: If I took her to a hospital she would get the treatment she needed but she would probably be recognized and shunned. I could just drop her off wherever she lived but I would be responsible if something were to happen to her and I wasn't there to help her. If I took her home with me then I know she would be safe and would be getting the treatment she needed. My eyes looked back down to Riley, her eyes were closed but I could still see the fear in her face. She really didn't want to go to a hospital and I doubt that she would be safe alone at her place.

I sighed heavily and lay my head against the leather seat behind me. "To my place, move it." The diver nodded and began to drive off. Riley's eye shot open and looked at me with confusion and accusing eyes. "This way you will be safe and well treated, you can trust me." Her brows knitted together but relaxed and she finally relaxed her muscles, leaning her head against my chest. I took this opportunity and reached in my pocket to pull out my phone. I pushed a few numbers and call JARVIS.

_Evening Sir, how was your night? _I looked down at Riley again. "Have a extra room prepared and the first aid kit near the front door when I arrive." There was a short silence before he agreed and I hung up. And decided that I was in a need of a quick nap.


	2. Chapter 2

Never in my whole life would I have guessed that I would end up in the arms of Tony Stark. Yeah, I expected something to happen, anything to make me small compared to everybody else. I am strong so I would not let it get to me...but when his eyes soften to me, showing his sympathy towards it I nearly lost all composure. Years of building up that airtight wall to keep everybody out almost came crumbling down by that one stupid action. I was completely disappointed with myself for it. Even though it hurt to know that someone like, Tony Stark could almost break me by just looking at me, I felt something different for the first time. The warmth of his coat that covered my bare and soaked shoulders had given me a chance to relax before I unleashed myself upon the guilty low-life's in the room. The mud sunk deep into my bruised and broken skin, making the icy burn grow by the second. I managed to catch myself before completely falling on the ground but sacrificed my ankle in the process. I was sure that it was severely sprained if not broken but I didn't show any signs of my weakness. I will never show weakness again...

Back to the...problem at hand. Tony Stark. I have heard of him and I am well aware that he is Iron Man, big deal. I didn't think that I would met him, or end up in his arms. But I hated to admit that it felt nice, to be protected. I knew that I would be safe with him and it wasn't because he was a famous superhero or he has contacts with everyone. It was a kind of safe feeling knowing that he is another human being and we understood the problem. I was uncomfortable with people, especially him, and didn't want to be carried around. I felt like a pathetic child. But he somehow was able to sense me being slightly uncomfortable since he moved me to the seat next to him. He would be taking me to where he lived to help me and by this time tomorrow I would be gone from his life, erasing this experience from my mind.

"I know you are not mute...I know you can talk." Without moving my head, my eyes glanced over to Tony who was rubbing his temples. He seemed to be having a headache during this time. He stopped and looked over to me, over eyes locking again. His irises showed me a man who was beyond exhausted but holds to much on his shoulders to even dare let go. I blinked and shook myself from his gaze to look out the window next to me. My body was still shaking from the cold. I didn't hate the cold but being wet wasn't my favorite part of the situation. I remembered the coat around my shoulders and began to try and wrap myself in it like a blanket, desperately wanting to get warmed up. "Here..." My eyes looked and watched as he took the coat off my shoulders, showing me how wet it was. "I don't think that this is going to keep you warm anymore." He chuckled and I raised a eyebrow at him, wondering why the hell this was remotely funny to him.

Tony tossed the beyond ruined coat at the other side of the limo. He raised his hand over to me and stopped when I narrowed my eyes on him. I wasn't sure what he wanted to do but I didn't want him touching me again, it felt too weird. He gave me a small smile. "I was just going to warm up your hands." My eyes glanced down to my fingers for a brief moment before I looked back to him. I had lost the feeling of anything a few minutes ago and I would need to warm them up soon. I carefully twisted my hips around on the leather seat so I could face him more. He didn't move and waited patiently as I gotten myself comfortable. I did respect him for this and decided to trust him.

My hands left my cold lap and went into his one large hand. I felt myself slightly jump when my cold finger tips touched his warm palm. Now I finally had some feeling back into my skin. Tony chuckled and wrapped his other hand over mind, trapping them from escaping his grasp. His warm palms slowly sucked the cold out of my hands, relieving me from the shivers a bit. I watched as his finger carefully rubbed in my skin. He continued to do this until we reached his mansion near the beach.

* * *

I was not amused to say the least. Tony had managed to carry me to the front door and walked us inside. The lights flickered on, temporarily blinding me. I lifted my hands to rub my tired eyes when a strange voice filled the sweet silence. _Welcome back, Sir. I have the room prepared right next to your and took the liberty to set up a hot bath for our guest. The first aid kit is resting on the table. _I frantically searched the room to find the source of the unnatural voice. My eyes finally landed on the ceiling and Tony's chest vibrated as he chuckled. "Thank you JARVIS. You don't need to worry, he's my AI." I let my hair fall into my face and nodded my head. I wasn't sure what a AI was and felt a little embarrassed about but I also wasn't willing to let him know that. Tony walked down the hallway that led into a largely spread out living room that was larger that my whole apartment. It was fairly simple but high class, it was nice and I took notice that it was mostly white. I found my fingers had begun to twitch so I tore myself from the white room.

Tony turned away from the room and walked over to a elevator, pressing a button and sending us up to where his room is to be. The elevator hummed a soft tune before we reached the floor and he walked out. "Okay, that is my room here." He motioned his head to a large, white door to our right as we walked by. A few more steps later and we reached another door. "This is where you can stay." Tony stood in front of the door and I jumped when it opened by itself. Tony began to laugh at me again and walked inside. "No need to be so jumpy, JARVIS will help you out." The room was white with a mix of a light champagne hues, leaving a artist like me to hold back the urge to draw or paint over everything. To me, anything that was white was like a unused canvas. The color white represents purity, to me to says 'Draw on me! I'm boring!'

I had to say that it was a nice looking room besides the tormenting colors. A large bed, that was white, sat in the middle of the room against the far wall. A small table was set on each side with a clock and random book on one of the tables. There was a small window near another door with the curtains blocking the view of the outside. Tony stepped inside and walked over to the other door that led into a large bathroom. It was all porcelain white. A sink was to our left with towels resting on a basket that sat near the bathtub. Tony sat me on the edge and I found that the Ai was telling the truth when he said that the bath was already prepared. Bubbles rested gingerly and I could still see a bit of steam coming from the crystal water. "Alright, lets get you out of these-" Tony went and tried to grasp my legs but out of habit I leaned back and kicked his chest, pushing him to the floor. He was a little surprised and so was I to be telling the truth. I was use to people trying to attack or provoke me that it had become a natural instinct to want to protect myself in anyway. Tony shook his head and rubbed a spot over his admen when I had got him.

I instantly felt very bad and tried to get up but my ankle refused to assist me with my weight and balance so I stayed put, watching his expression. It changed from shock to confused and went to amusement before he settled on the ground in front of me, crossing his legs. "I'm not going to hurt you. I need to release the pressure of your injured ankle from those boot or else you are going to have to deal with some serious pain." I narrowed my eyes on him, wondering how he knew that my ankle was in bad condition. I made sure to hide it from him well. But it made sense why he started carrying me. He wanted to keep myself from making the injury worse by forcing myself to walk around. I hated to admit it but he was right. With a small sigh the leaked from my nose I turned and nodded slowly at him.

Tony smiled and took a hold of my left leg, being careful not to touch any sore spots around my foot. His fingers untied the strings and loosened them, releasing a bit of pressure. He used his left hand to hold my leg under my knee and used his other hand to grasp the bottom of my heel. "Are you ready?" I looked into his eyes and found that they were almost the exact same color as my own. I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth together before nodding my head. I felt the fake leather began to slide off as he pulled the boot. I had to bend my ankle so it would slide off easier but that didn't mean I was safe from the pain. My body shook and I refused to cry or whimper, I was made to be strong so I ignored the pain. Finally, after a few torturing seconds, the boot had come off. I sucked in a breath of air before daring to look and see how bad the damage was. Tony stared at my ankle and I followed suit, cringing.

The whole area was black and blue, bits of the color speckled on the top of my foot. The muscles around the bone had swollen up badly. It was a all around hideous mess so I turned away. "Yeah...I think that you might have broken your ankle." I wanted to smack him and yell at him 'You think?!' but I kept myself still. Tony sighed and reached up to take a white towel on the basket. With it still folded Tony placed it on the floor and slowly placed my ankle on top of it. The simple action alone made me shudder from the pain that racked my body. Before I could see what he was doing, Tony left the room. I didn't know what he was doing but I dropped it and began to undress myself. Taking the disgusting dress, I threw it across the room to have lade on the tile floor with a 'Flop!'

* * *

I sighed with content as the hot water warmed up by body that had almost turned into a frozen sculpture. My ankle rest on top of the tub with the towel underneath it. I just rested myself in the water, forcing myself to forget the events of the night. All I wanted to do was go home, heal myself and go to sleep before going back to my art. I had adapted the power to heal myself and others shortly after I had turned thirteen. It was a power given to me by a god. He said that he was disgusted with the fact that I was a slow healer so it was suppose to be given to me as a reckless gift. I had realized that I would need to use it everyday so I had the power greatly enhanced and I could heal almost every wound. By now I would've healed it and gone on with my life but with Tony Stark here I wasn't so sure that this was a good idea.

I know he was part of a organized group that had stopped the end of the world a little while back. I was shortly interested in it but the fear of what they would do to me kept me to stay as far as I could away from them all. I didn't want people experimenting on me, I was terrified of it to say the least.

"Hello?" I sunk deeper into the water until the rim reached my nose, eyeing the man in the doorway. He seemed a little nervous while he held some clothing and a white box in his hands. "Don't worry, I won't peek. I'm just going to bandage you up." He walked in and placed the clothing on the sink before he sat on the edge of the tub, next to my resting ankle. He looked it over again before opening up the box and began to pull out everything he wanted. Guilt was forming for the first time. He was doing so much to help me, not knowing that I really could just help myself. So I began arguing with myself in my head, fighting if I should tell him or just let him help me. "Umm? Are you still with us?" My eyes looked up and I felt my muscles in my face tighten up. I forced my face to relax and sat up straighter in the tub. The warm water rocked back and forth before I finally found a comfortable spot. Tony was watching me intently, not daring to move. I began to bite the inside of my cheeks as I wanted to kick myself for doing this. Why, why, why?

I took my foot and brought it close to me. My arms rested against my leg as I placed the tips of my fingers on each side of the bone. With one deep breath I began to imagine the shape of the bone and how it was constructed. The image of the broken bone began to fix itself like a puzzle. My fingers grazed over my bruised skin and the creamy color began heal back. It took around a minute for everything to go back to the way to was before.

A smile curved on my lips when I felt myself free from the pain of the broken ankle. It felt good and I opened my eyes to look over my work. It had been completely healed up, leaving not a single blemish behind. I was satisfied with my work and turned my gaze over to Tony. He was frozen, staring at my ankle with a perplexed expression. He seemed to be chewing on his cheek as he still held the bandages in his hands. A awkward silence filled the air for a minute until Tony blew out a mouthful of air while making a annoying sound. I was slightly startled by this act and found myself scooting back to the far side of the tub, sinking myself deep in the water in a effort to hide myself from his judging eyes.

Tony stood up and tossed everything that was in his hands over his shoulders. Placing his hands on his hips he looked at me in the eye with a bored expression. "Well...I can see that I'm useless to ya'." He seemed to be picking on me with the small smirk that was planted on his face. "Alrighty then! I will just leave ya' now." Tony turned around and was about to leave. I don't know what came over me but I soon found myself jumping half-way out of the water, spilling it over the tile floor. My arm was outstretched for him but no words came out. I wanted him to stay but I still refused to talk, I couldn't.

Tony stopped and looked over his shoulder at me with his eyebrow raised. I suddenly felt weird as his eyes looked over me. I pushed myself back into the water, very aware that some of the heat had risen to my cheeks. I couldn't fathom why I was suddenly acting this way. I had never wanted anyone to just be near me before, it was a new feeling that I wasn't sure I was liking. We stayed still for a while, watching each others emotions.

Tony sighed and gave me a small smile and turned half-way around. "I will stay...if you tell me your name." My eyes narrowed on him. He knew my name and yet he wanted me to tell him? "I want to hear it from you." My eyes stayed on him, wondering his he was a mind reader or something. I didn't see any harm in this except my promise I had made years ago...I was not speak another word until he returned. After nearly five years later I was going to have to accept the fact that I was not to be seeing him anymore and I was being ridiculous thinking that he would come back.

I opened my mouth and licked my dry lips, blinking a few times. Tony walked over and keeled next to me, our eyes level with each other. "...Riley...Janssen." My quiet voice filled our ears. It was the first time I had heard my own voice in years, I had almost forgotten what it sounded like. It was a bit scratchy and came out like a whisper but it was also soft like silk. I liked it and found myself smiling at Tony unconsciously. He smiled back and lifted his large hand out to me to shake. My hand was much smaller compared to his but my long fingers made up for it.

"Hello Riley, I am Tony Stark. A billionaire, playboy and who is also Iron Man. Nice to met you."

* * *

Wow...what a man-whore. He had tried sneaking in ways to see me naked while he would talk about his life as Iron Man. It wasn't bad but very annoying and kind of piggish. I didn't say anything else but listened to his stories, occasionally smacking him if he was getting too close for comfort. When minutes went by he got up and handed me a towel before leaving to give me some privacy, with little effort. Once I gotten myself wrapped in the towel I looked over to see just how much dirt was suck to me. The water had become a muddy swamp. That was not attractive so I leaned over and pulled the plug, draining the water but leaving the mud behind. I sighed loudly and was about to manually wash the dirt. _There is no need to clean that up, Miss. I will take care of that. _I froze and remembered that it was the AI talking. I looked up to the ceiling and smiled before going over to the sink and picking up the clothes that Tony had left behind for me.

I lifted up a black button up shirt that could almost act as a dress for me. With the shirt there was a pair of matching black sweatpants that were far too large for me. Going over the lack of options in my mind and taking a quick glance at my dress I decided to put them on. I used the towel around my body to finish drying my hair before placing it on the sink. I gripped the sweatpants and slipped them on and making sure to double knot them so they wouldn't fall. My hands touched the soft shirt, feeling the silkiness before pulling it over my head. The sleeves went well past my finger tips so I rolled them up a few times before finally stepping out of the bathroom and into my bedroom.

There was no sigh of Tony and I wondered if I should find him or go straight to sleep. _Mr. Stark is in the kitchen, waiting for you Miss. _I narrowed my eyes to the ceiling, catching a glimpse of a black speck in the corner, telling me that there was a camera hidden. I found that it was kind of creepy but understandable. I nodded my head and walked out the door while the AI gave me the directions of where I was suppose to go. I took the elevator down and found myself back into the main room before I listened and followed my next directions. Across the room had a door that led to the kitchen. I walked over and carefully opened the door just as I heard a loud crash.

"Damnit!"

I walked in and found half of the floor covered in broken shards of what may have been a bowel. I watched as Tony scratched the top of his head and shrugged his shoulders at me. "Stay there...this might take a while." I shook my head and focused all of my attention at the offending glass. The glass shards began to shake slightly before hovering a few feet into the air. Tony stayed silent and watched the glass. My eyes darted around to figure out a place to put the broken glass until I saw Tony opening his trashcan. I nodded and carefully lead the pieces into the bin and tied up the bag for the just-in-case. Once I was done Tony clapped his hands and smirked at me. "Thanks, that was a lot of help and a great time savor." I nodded my head and walked over to a table and slid into a chair. Tony opened a small fridge and pulled out a tub of ice cream and a small glass of ice. I raised my eyebrow and watched as he moved gracefully along the kitchen. He slid over to a cabinet and grabbed a red jar and large bottle of chocolate syrup. My mouth watered, anticipating something delicious to be coming out of this. My eyes followed Tony back to the kitchen bar as he pulled out a fancy blender. He smiled and glanced over to me. "Would you like a milkshake?" I licked my lips and nodded frantically. I loved milkshakes and I had a feeling that he knows how to make the best shakes. His hands grasped the glass of ice and poured it into the blender. He grabbed a scooper and took out a few large scoops of vanilla ice cream and dropped it in the blender next. He popped the top of the syrup and glanced back at me. "Do you like a lot of chocolate?"

I couldn't believe that he was asking a woman if I liked a lot of chocolate. I gave him my best 'No duh!' expression and giggled when Tony pulled back a bit. "Okay! Most of the women I bring here don't like a lot of chocolate." Tony squirted the syrup, coating the ice and the ice cream with the dark brown chocolate. He pressed the button and the room was filled with a ear-bleeding noise. It was beyond loud but it stopped after a few seconds, creating a perfect mixture of chocolate milk shakes. Tony smiled and I could barely hear him hum a tune to himself. He pulled out two large glasses and began to pour the shakes in each glass, filling them up to the rim. He picked up the red jar and popped it open, pulling out some cherries. "Would you like some?" I lifted two fingers and he chuckled. "Yes, Mam." Once he had everything put away he walked over to the table and sat next to me but stayed at a good distance for me.

For the rest of the night Tony and I sipped on our shakes. He would occasionally try to get me to say something but I just smirked and ignored him. I felt at ease when I was with him. It began to make me feel happy that I trusted him. Tony was quiet the talker but I didn't stop him when he got going. He was far too interesting to stop. After a hour and a half went by we left and he escorted me back to my room, leaving me with a bright smile and a night that I would never forget.

* * *

**To Broken Infinity: I'm glad you like this so much and thank you for pointing out about the grammar errors. I, unfortunately, have horrible spelling and you probably will find more mistakes to come. :] I will try to correct them more!~ Enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up the next morning with the weather new being listed to me by JARVIS, although I never listened I did enjoy the fact the JARVIS does try. My eyes closed tightly shut and I rolled over so I could shove my head under my pillow. I found that I wasn't as tired as I usually was every morning and enjoyed the sensation of easiness within my mind. I mean a brilliant genius, such as myself, needs to have mornings like this more often. I soon found my eyes opening by themselves and staring at the large window, well more like a door, that gave a beautiful view of the coast. A few seconds went by and I started to realize that something was a bit off than usual. I didn't have a hangover. That was a new one for me so I pushed myself on my arms and knees, trying to remember what happened last night. Another surprise came to me as the memories actually came to me. My legs swivel over to the edge and I ran my fingers through my hair. "Oh shit..." I blinked a few times as the memories of the high school reunion flashed in my head along with the cruel prank that hurt a young woman...Riley. I gripped the sheets on my body and threw them to the farthest part of the room, not really caring about anything except for the woman in the next room over. My feet planted on the incredibly soft carpet beneath me, wondering how the hell I could not have notice the softness before. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts I took a few strides over to my bathroom and walked right up to the sink, taking a look at myself in the mirror.

My eyes weren't blood shot, they were crystal clear. The normal bags under my eyes were slightly faded, showing signs that I had actually slept a decent amount of sleep for the first time in a while. My hand reached up and I began to massage my cheeks, making sure that I was really awake and not having a easy dream for once. For many months now I would constantly dream of being held captive again and tortured endlessly. The pain that I would receive in my dreams would often follow me when I wake up afterwards, making it hard for me to get connected to reality. But today, I was safe and okay. _Sir? Do I need to notify your counselor?_ My eyes lifted up to my ceiling. "And why would I need to talk to my counselor?" There was a small pause and I had wondered if JARVIS was having a slight malfunction of being a smartass. _Sir, you are smiling like you 'got laid' when you most certainly did not. I beginning to think that you might have finally lost your marbles._ My arms crossed over my chest while I debated to reply to his remark with a honest answer or go with being a pain in the ass. My eyes looked over my figure in the mirror, noting how good I looked this morning, before I finally gave a answer.

"I think I will be fine JARVIS. I just had a good nights slept. Now I'm going to go and get buzzed up before the day burns out on me." If it was possible to hear someone roll their eyes then I heard it loud and clear. _Very good Sir._ I left my bathroom and went over to my overly large walk-n closet. My fingers brushed against my shirts that hung on the rack while my eyes were trying to find something decent to wear. 'Something to impress Riley.' My feet stopped as I reached the end of row, mentally smacking myself for thinking like that. "It must be my playboy side coming out conditionally." I found a dark red shirt that had a image of Iron Man's outer lines drawn out in yellow. I couldn't remember how I had gotten this shirt but it had something to do with a drinking game with other men. I shivered at the foggy memory and pulled it off form the hanger and threw it on. I left my closet and went over to my dresser, pulling out a pair of black, worn-out jeans that hung loosely on my hips. I loved wearing these while at a good party and thought that it might not be a good choice of clothing to wear after the day I had planned after hanging out with Riley last night. But then I thought that nothing I wore would ever be bad at anytime of the day. When I had made the milkshakes last night I had time to look Riley over and check her out.

She was very pretty and her voice was nothing that I could ever expect to come out of her. With her small figure and her shy attitude, I figured that it would be small or quiet.

I was wrong...so wrong.

Her voice was smooth. There was a hit of crogginess but it was beautiful to say the least. Her voice wasn't shy, it was commanding and held dignity which led me to wonder all night why she wouldn't talk. Hell, I was lucky to get her to say her own name. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with her voice or the way she said her name, so what was it?

My toes curled into the carpet before picking up my phone and wallet that sat at the side table next to my bed. "Hey JARVIS, how is Riley doing?" My fingers worked the latch of my watch together as I waited for his reply. _Miss Janssen is wide awake and is currently wondering what she is suppose to do. _My eyebrow rose for a moment before I frowned. "She told you that...I wonder how long she has been up." I walked over to the door and had just began to open it when JARVIS spoke up again. _Sir, if I may? Miss Janssen seems unsure about something, as if she is awaiting for something terrible to happen. _My hand froze just before I touched the doorknob, slightly shocked by this news. Riley was scarred here, in Iron Man's home. That wasn't okay I needed to fix that immediately.

* * *

My knuckles gently rasped the door that led to Riley's room, knocking three times. There was a long pause of silence before I began to knock louder. My body began to rock on the balls of my feet as I waited to hear a response from her. After some time I looked up to the camera at the end of the hallway, nodding to JARVIS to open the door for me. The latch of the door unlocking was the only sound in the whole building and that somehow gave me a strong vibe that something was not okay. My finger tips carefully pushed the cool door back, revealing a semi-dark room. The curtains were drawn together, keeping most of the sun's rays from entering the white room. My feet took a few steps inside while I tried to locate Riley, so far I couldn't see anything. I walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains so I could let the sun in. I didn't realize how cold the room was until I was bathed in the warm light of the sun outside. 'Did she sleep like this all night?'

My head turned towards the bed. The sheets and blanket were barely disturbed, as if she didn't sleep in it at all. My eyes darted around the room to find the small woman with freaky powers. I walked over to the door to the bathroom as it opened wide, half starling me. I brought my hand up to run my fingers through my hair. "Holy crap, you scarred me." Riley stood there with an unsure expression. Her eyes didn't meet mine and stayed at my chest. For a minute I thought she was looking at the arc reactor in my chest but her eyes didn't even focuse on that. Her hands kept wringing out the other, shaking a bit. "Are you alright?..." Riley slowly nodded her head and didn't move and speak, as usual. My eyes glanced over to the bed before turning back to her. "Did you sleep okay?" She glanced over to the bed and nodded her head again.

For some reason I believed her to be a liar. I could tell that something was eating at her so I took a step forward. My hands slowly reached over and took hers so I could led her back to the bed, motioning for her to sit. She followed orders but still refused to look at me and that made me a bit more upset. "Hey, what's up?" Her hands stilled in her lap as her foot began to tap the floor, telling me that she was nervous about something. I found myself sighing and I knelt down on the ground. Her eyes finally looked at me. I made a small smile and she copied me. "I can tell that you didn't sleep in the bed. Something is on your mind, care to share...'cause you know,...sharing is caring, right?" She looked out the window and her lips parted the slightest. My eyes stayed glued on her lovely pink lips that are small but plump, a perfect feature for her beautiful face.

I felt a tap on my nose that broke my train of thoughts. I shook and looked back to her eyes that seemed to have shown a glimpse of fear. I wasn't sure if I have imagined it or not but I was not going to ignore this. "Riley please, I can help." She gave me a small smirk and stood from the bed, offering her hand to me. This felt kind of familiar but we needed to switch places first. Riley seemed to not want to talk but her mood was improved and that is the only reason that I was going to let this go. I smiled at her and accepted her hand to stand up. Her hands were not as smooth as they looked. They were strong and daunting, I liked it.

I placed my hands on my hips and I showed her my cheeky smile. "Alrighty then! I need you to get ready, we have quite a day a head of us and I don't want to wait any longer." Her eyes grew wide as she gawked at me like I was insane, which I was but that was besides the point. "You need to get dressed 'cause we are heading out soon for breakfast and then I will take you anywhere you want to go." She didn't say anything, as expected, as she left the room to go to the bathroom, bringing back the dress she wore yesterday. It was a complete mess that looked as if it was used to clean cars at a junk yard. Her facial expression told me that she was not amused before she threw it back into the bathroom. When she faced me again her hands were on her hips.

It took me a second to realize that problem as my eyes looked over the clothes I had given her to wear. My palm slapped against my forehead. "Oh Damnit! I didn't think of that, you need clothes!" My head raced to think and all I could come up with was just to buy her some new ones. _Sir, I believe that Miss Potts still has some of her outfits here. Miss Janssen might be able to fit into them._ I looked up to JARVIS and gave him a thumbs up. "Great idea!" I reached over and grasped Riley's hand and dragged her out of the room.

We went back to my room and I placed her on my bed. I noticed that she eyed the sheets but ignored them when I went into my closet. "She has to have some of her shirts here somewhere." My hands pushed the hangers to the side, back and forth, looking for Pepper's button shirts or a tank top at least. So far I didn't find anything and I began to wonder what happen to them all. "Well that can't be good." I took a step back and ran into Riley. I looked at her and she gave me the most heart felt smile I could ever see. Her eyes were big and her pink lips reached her ears. I couldn't understand why she was acting like this until I saw the shirt she was holding, it was one of my favorites.

Riley pulled the Black Sabbath t-shirt that was all black except the album cover which was a faded gold. I took it from her and gave her a questioning look. "You like this band?" Her head bounced up and down before she took the shirt away from me. Riley smirked and left the closet and went over to my dresser. I was a little surprised and felt a bit useless again when she pulled out a pair of Pepper's slack from the bottom draw. They were the same color black that looked like that they would be a perfect fit. Riley draped the shirt and slacks over her arm and looked over at me expectantly. I chuckled and crossed my arms. "Well, if you can help yourself then go ahead and get dressed. The day is fading quickly so hurry up." She nodded and left the room. Probably heading from her bathroom.

I couldn't stop the smile that made itself known on my lips. She is a cute woman, hard to believe the kind of power that she beholds. I uncrossed my arms and went over to place my socks and shoes on. Once I checked everything I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out and ironically it was Pepper. A deep feeling of depression and regret settled in my heart after seeing the caller ID. We had a great relationship going for a while but after everything that had happened when Loki terrorized our world we had to break it off. She had issues to deal with herself and left me about a month ago. We haven't talked since then and I didn't want to start today when I was trying to get Riley to talk.

Yep! That was my ultimate plan for today. Operation: Getting Riley to speak!

* * *

We sat in silence as the limo took us to a restaurant. I had to say that Riley wearing my favorite shirt looked really well on her. It was big and stretched passed her small butt but it only made her look even cuter. The black slack clung to her legs, showing off the small curves that she possesses. I almost felt jealous how good she looked casual. I was even more casual and I started to think that I should've put something a little better on than I was wearing. Riley looked over to me and rose her eyebrow at me. 'Damn, she caught me starring.' I chuckled and smiled at her. She smiled back and lifted her hand, motioning her wrist to write. I smirked and shook my head. "Nope, if you want to say something you have to actually say it." She frowned and looked over to the driver. She smirked and leaned forward, pulling out a small notepad and pen from the front seat. She sat a little straighter and looked over at me. I scoffed and crossed my arms. "Fine, you got me."

I watched as she quickly began to write something down before handing it over to me. I looked over it.

_"I like your shirt. Your arc reactor under it make the head of Iron Man almost have a halo. It's really cool!"_

My lips smiled and I looked down and sure enough, she was right. The light from my arc reactor gave the outline of Iron Man's head have a white halo. We both chuckled and I handed the pad back to her. "Very observant of you. Even I didn't catch that." Riley seemed pretty proud of herself and settled back in her seat comfortably.

It only took a few more minutes before we reached the restaurant. I glanced over to Riley before we got out and I watched as her smile slowly faded away. She grew a little tense but hid it well. I began to feel a little frustrated that she could go from being happy and carefree to shut off and nonexistent to our world. My hand reached over and took her hand that was about wring the other. "Come on, I'm starving for food." She nodded and walked with me, my hand still holding hers.

We walked in the restaurant and before I could even get someone's attention I saw a wave of a small hand at the back. I recognized the hand and gripped Riley's hand a little harder as I began to direct her through the tables to get over to Sara. She smiled at me as I slid into the booth and Riley followed. There was a slight shocked expression on Sara's face when she noticed that Riley was with me. Neither of them spoke so I decided to break the silence. "So, how did the rest of the party go?" Sara tore her attention on Riley and looked at me with a deep sigh.

"Not so good. I refused to give away the rest of the awards and tried to convince them to leave her alone. Needless to say, they were not happy and trashed the place before leaving." My eyes widen on Sara and my teeth gritted together. Sara looked back at Riley. "I'm...I'm very sorry. I didn't know that they were going to pull off something like that. If I had known-" Riley shook her head and gave us a fake smile. Sara leaned forward. "No, it was my job to make sure that everything went accordingly. If something like that was going to happen then I should've known and I would've put a stop to it instantly. I'm very sorry." Riley nodded her head and pulled out the pad and pen before showing it to us.

_"It's alright. I don't blame you and I don't blame anybody. It was a nice party while it lasted."_

Sara and I smiled at the note. Riley placed the pad in her lap and I threw my arms over her shoulders, bringing her closer. "We had fun last night anyway! I make a mean milkshake!-" Riley's elbow collided with my ribs and I found myself shutting up quickly. Sara giggled and a waitress came over.

"What can I help you with today?" The waitress was incredibly skinny who looks like she is addicted to getting in a tanning booth. I found her a little gross but kept my mouth shut. Sara lifted the menu and picked out some simple pancakes while I wanted their breakfast special with a coffee. She wrote everything down and began to walk off until I caught her attention.

"Hey, she is hungry too." I motioned to Riley who kept her gaze at the menu on the table, not making any move to look at anybody.

The waitress sneered at her and placed her hands on her hips. "We don't serve _her_, nobody here serves _her_." And she walked off. To say I was pissed would be the understatement of the year. My hands balled into fists and I looked at Sara, our eyes meeting before we both looked at Riley.

We didn't say anything for a while. The distant conversations of the restaurant was the only sounds that was heard. And it wasn't long before I realized that the conversations with the other people were about Riley. I never realized how much people could hate one person, and for no reason at all. I wanted to yell at them to shut up but a gentle hand on my arm instantly relaxed my tightened muscles and racing thoughts. My eyes looked over to Riley and watched her pink lips smile softly at me. She handed me the pad.

_"Don't worry about it. It's not all bad. You just have to learn to cancel out their voices."_

I was surprised how strong she was and decided to follow her advice and block out the voices around us, soon there was just Sara, Riley, and I in the building. The silence was nice and it wasn't much longer when our food came around. I had a large plate of pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, and golden hash browns. I took the smaller plate that had my toast to put half of my pancakes and a sausage link. My hand pushed it over to Riley who questioned the plate before her. Our eyes met and I smirked. "You really think that I was going to eat this by myself?" Riley continued to stare and it finally clicked in my head.

She really did expect that.

Riley took the jar of syrup and drenched her plate with it before beginning to chow down. I was relieved and began to eat myself, enjoying my black coffee. The food was great but the service sucked ass. I made a personal note to never come here again as I quickly finished off my food, using my toast to soak up the rest of the bits before shoving it in my mouth. My back leaned against the seat and my hands rubbed my stomach. Sara shook her head at me and looked at Riley. "How was it?" Riley began to write as I took out my credit card. Sara went to reject it when she saw it. I rose my hand to silence her. She hesitantly retreated back and looked to Riley.

_"The food was really good! Thanks again!"_

Sara smiled warmly and we all got out of the booth. I had paid the waiter and didn't bother with giving much for a tip than what was expected. We exited the restaurant quickly and I waved Sara off telling her that I would be harassing her over the phone soon. Sara actually flipped me the bird before walking off to her car and we went to the limo. We sat down and I smiled at Riley. "Okay, so where would you like to go?" She didn't hesitate to write and my stomach did a small flip when her beautiful smile was back where it belonged.

_"If you don't mind, I want to go back to my apartment. There is something I want to show you."_

I raised my eyebrow and gave her a charming smirk. "Well if that was all you wanted to do then we just could've stayed at my place." Her faced heated up instantly and quickly wrote something else on her pad.

_"THAT WAS NOT WHAT I MEANT YOU PERVERT!"_

I laughed hard and clenched my sides when I felt a cramp pulling at my muscles. "Okay, haha...I'm sorry but I couldn't help it." I took a chance to get a breath of air before continuing. "Alrighty, lets head over to your place and see what you want to show me." Riley nodded her head but the redness of her cheeks didn't falter and she directed us to where she lived.

* * *

We drove down several streets when I got a call from JARVIS. "Hey what's up?" _Sir, your shipment of your liquor has arrived. Shall I direct him to your storage and tip him on the way out? _I had forgotten about my order and smiled at the thought of being able to have a good, stiff drink when I get back home. "Yes, that's great JARVIS." _Very good, Sir. I will await for your arrival and have your favorite already made for you. _"Thanks JARVIS." I hung up the phone and looked out the window, observing a fire that seemed to broke out in the distance. "Damn...I wonder what happened." My head turned to see what Riley thought but my heart dropped at her expression.

Riley's mouth was partly open. Her eyes were wide and gaped at the fire. Her hand shook in her lap, struggling. I leaned over and attempted to touch her but she jumped and scooted to the farthest part of the limo. I froze and felt slightly hurt. Her hand frantically wrote something on the pad, tear drops falling onto the paper.

_"THAT'S MY PLACE!"_


	4. Chapter 4

My whole world had crumbled apart within seconds of gazing at the fire. I had lived my whole life within that small appartment space for as long as I could remember. Even though that isn't that long, it didn't matter to me. That place meant a lot to me. I felt my eyes water as my stomach lurtched. I knew something like this would happen one day, and I had been prepared for it. But not while I was away from my home. Everything that held a great meaning to me was locked away in my room where it would be safe. Now I feared that I would lose everything in an instant. Tony looked from the fire and then to me, question in his eyes as I kept my gaze on the fire. "What's wrong?"

Everything!

I wanted to tell him that one single word that held so much more meaning to it. Everything was wrong; people who hated me because of something that I obtained, emotions making me weak and defenseless growing up, fear that made others lash out on me, and my heart that held me back from acting out like a way a monster should. Everything is wrong for this little monster and I had about enough of this. I gripped the paper pad in my hands and began to scribble down what was wrong, at the moment.

_"THAT IS MY PLACE!"_

The black lines that formed the letters deeply engraved to the next sheet of paper beneath it. Tony looked over and read my note before snapping his attention over the the driver. "Happy! Step on it!" The limo slightly jerked back but I paid no mind to it. All my focuse was the large, metal box in my room that was on fire right now. The box containing everything that has kept me strong and alive to this very moment in life. If I lost that box then I would lose my sanity and eventually my life as well. The warm touch of a hand pulled me away from my thoughts so I could look to Tony, not realizing how much I was shaking. "It's okay, I promise." His words did little to comfot me. I knew that it wasn't going to be alright or okay. My thoughts went right back to all of the times I had spent painting, sketching, and designing in that little space. My mind would always, and still does, come up with ideas about different aspects of people and our reality. When I began growing up I would spend as much of my free time as I could just drawing. Then my drawings turned into paintings and I was finally able to find myself a little bit of happiness for myself.

Right as I turned into a young woman I had developed a unique talent to almost create life with my artistic abilities. I had amazed myself, and my mentor at the time, far beyond what I was expecting. When I was a child I had only one supernatural power that singled me out from the rest of the children. Over time I had developed more unique abilities and was even given one as a gift. I hated this for the longest time but I had to learn to let go after figuring out that there was nothing I could do to take them away. I had accepted it as it was my fate and decided that I was going to use them to my benefit, no matter what anyone else would think.

* * *

The limo finally pulled to a stop right next to a crowd of people who stared up at the fire with smiles on their faces. I didn't hesitate to jump out and take a closer look. The firefighters were already on the scene but stood there and did nothing. I was furious and began to push my way through the crowd, not bothering to look at their scowles and listen to the harsh curses they would holler at me. My feet pulled to a stop next to the firefighters. They glanced down at me before walking away and heading back to the truck. My fingers curled into the palms of my hand, the nails biting at my flesh as I made tight fits. I had to go in there and nothing was going to stop me. With a sudden rush of energy, I sprinted forward and broke down the door that led inside the building. Hot flames that melted and burn everything it touched swarmed me and made a baracade at the entance. I knew that there was no way of going back but I could find another way out.

I pushed myself forward and covered my mouth and nose with my hand, keeping from some of the Hell's air from my lungs. My body sprinted up the steps to the very top of the apartment. I had lived at the very top of the building, and I mean very top. I lived in the attic, hating that it was such a long ways up. I noticed that the fire had eaten away most of the steps, leaving gaping holes in the staircase as I went farther up. After some time I began to feel myself choaking and coughing hard. I didn't realize how much smoke had gotten in my lungs and began to feel dizy. I wanted to get out of there but I needed to get my box, even if it meant my life in the end.

My spare hand caught the side of the wall when the floor beneath me began to collapse. I jumped up and turned over my shoulder to see how far I had gotten. The small pieces of wood had been engulfed by the flames on the botton floor, leaving nothing behind. I shook my head and pressed farther up. I was so close, only another story to go and I would make it. Unfortunately I had took a gasp for air whne the floor fell and now my vision began to fade. For a split second I thought that I was going to die. My hand on the wall was slipping and my knees were caving in from exhaustion. My head lifted up to see the door that lead to my small home, my world that I had spent years protecting. I was scared and angry at myself for letting this happen. I had prepared for this, or so I thought anyway. The stairs started to shake so I looked down. The wood was getting inhaled from the red flames behind me and that was enough of a push to get myself up.

My feet stumbled and my balance was far from generous but all I needed to do was keep going. I looked at the door and saw that most of it was gone and was burned with a ugly shade of black. I took this oppertunity to use thae last of my strength and jump over the burned down door, landing on a questionable piece of the flooring that was creaking and shaking from my sudden assault. My eyes took in the images of the room, cursing at the image that would permately stay in my head. My canvases of all sizes were now firewood, broken into several pieces. The images of all my hard work was getting eaten away by the greedy fire. It was a painful sight. I wanted to cry but I had to wait. I looked over the room and found a pile of ashes where my matress was and carefully headed for it. Within that were things that I cherished deeply. My feet scooted across the unstable floor as I made my way to the wall. The floor had shook slightly but I ran the rest of the way just before it crumbled to nothing.

I fell on my knees and coughed hard. I needed fresh air now but I could tell that there was no going back. The floor around me had caved in, leaving a large open pit of fire that looked like a way to the gates of Hell. That was when I realized that the fire had started here. Tears fell from my eyes from the burning pain of my poisoned lungs. I was dying here today with little to be happy for, execpt a chance to get away from all of this. I wanted to sit and cry. The roaring of flames pushed me closer to the wall that was also burned down mostly. A large hole was close enough to look over and inside. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. The box was still there, untouched by the unforgiving flames. My hand reached over to grab a hold of it but pulled back instantly as the hot metal stained my fingers with burning flesh. I had gotten so close and I couldn't even take it. I opened my mouth to cry out, cursing the all mighty being above us for doing this to me. I wanted to use my voice at full strength for the first time in years.

But I couldn't. I still had a promise to keep and I would keep it to my dying breath. So I rested my head against the wall and trailed my eyes over to the fire pit, watching as they danced and mocked me for being so weak. I had let my guard down with Tony Stark and now I was paying the price for it. My thoughts drifted over to Tony. I wondered if he was okay and what he was doing now. He could've tried getting inside but would have failed. I started to get worried and prayed that he was okay and safe. Tony was a good man and I deeply respected him for it. A smile tugged on my lips as I remembered last night, him talking over milkshakes while trying to get me to talk. It was a cute effort and I relished in that memory. I remembered the look he gave the waitress for ignoring me and the way he reacted as he shared his food with me. He seemed to realize something and I did too.

I didn't think anyone had noticed this but when something would click in his mind his dark eyes would almost glisten. It was like a star had shined at the right moment and let itself know of it's existence. I almost blush now at the thought. I loved his eyes that reminded me of forbidden liquor that you can't help but get sucked into the curiosity. Tony had done so much for me and I wanted to repay him for it...now I would never have that chance. I let my last bit of fresh air escape my lips, letting go of the pain and memories. My eyes started to drift slowly, my ears ignoring the unusual sounds that caressed my body. That was until I felt a cool brush of air run across my skin. I wasn't expecting it and turned over to the box again. Smiling at the last memory of my beloved mentor taking my hand and dancing with me that night...the night when time stood still.

* * *

My lifeless body hovered above nothing. I was the only existence in a place where nothing dwells. Blackness surrounded me, comforting me. I felt dead but almost alive too. I didn't breath any air, didn't need to. My heart refused to beat inside my body, leaving me still. I should feel cold, or hot, something but for some reason I didn't feel anything except the darkness. There was no warmth to allow me to get any closer to understand where I am and why. I should be dead now, the smoke from the fire ending my existance. Yet I'm here, in this seemingly endless void. No where to go and nothing to do but stare at the emptiness in front of me, not daring to blink for I might miss something.

"Riley?..." A distance voice echoed off nothing as a voice filled the emptiness. I wondered who spoke to me and why. I am perfectly content here. I didn't want to go back to the world of reality. I didn't want to continue living in the world of pain, nowhere to go. At least being in this black void I could be relieved of the meaningless suffering.

"Please...come back..." The strange voice spoke again, a bit more demanding than the last time. I wanted to frown but I couldn't feel my lips. My body was numb to me, a empty shell where my soul was suppose to live in and grow in. I thought about how useless a body would be without a controller, the frustration of it. It was like I had all of the power in the world couring through my soul but it just became meaningless if I didn't have something to focuse the energy of my power through and use it. A piece of broken machinery that was outdated and unwanted.

"Riley...don't go...not yet..." The voice was pleading with me. It didn't want me to go but why was the question. Did it want me to not leave this place? Was it lonely? Or did it not want me to leave the place that I had come from? It didn't make any sense to me or maybe I was over complecating it. Yes, that must be it. I needed to relax myself and just listen to the voice. Maybe it would lead me or comfort me. Either way, I wasn't so lost now.

"Come back...I'm sorry...it's my fault..." The deep voice felt guilty for something that I didn't understand. I wanted to ask the voice so many questions. I wanted to say something to it but couldn't. It was out of my reach, just like everything else in my life. Everything that I had dreamed about I had worked hard and earned. Still, they were pushed away, going farther and farther until I had finally given up. Should I give up on this voice too? It seems so far away and I can't move so what was the point.

"If you can hear me...it's me, Tony...I don't want to lose you... Please come back!" That voice...it belongs to Tony Stark. No! I don't want to let him go! Not yet! I refuse to give up on him, not after all he has done to help me. I needed to fight this, fight to reach his voice. My eyes closed, bringing the darkness closer to me. I should be afraid but I let the words of Tony Stark fill me with hope. I was not going to let anyone or anything control my life anymore. I was going to fight it and move on my accord, going for his voice to lead the way. Tony didn't let me go, he didn't lose his faith in me. I needed to fight and now. A power surge ran cold through me. I FELT the coldness fill me before it melted into a burning warmth that reminded me of the fire. The fire that consumed my home and all of my art that I created over the years. The image of the metal box that I had sacrificed so much flashed in my eyes. The importance of what was inside. I needed it more than the release of pain.

"Riley!...Hurry!" I fought it with all of my strength. Soon the familiar warmth began to crawl over my body, like a skin suit molding itself on me. It wasn't long before I realized that I had control over my body again. My finger twitched and my eyes blinked a few times. I let myself smile before leaning forward, where Tony was. My arms swung at the sides and my legs began to kick, trying to push myself closer to him. The darkness clung close to me like tar, not having any intention to release me from this endless void. I fought against it and foucsed on Tony's voice that soothed me and brought confidence to me.

"RILEY!"

* * *

I had blinked and then the blackness melted away, giving me a view of the bright blue sky. My lips were wide open, trying to suck in air. I looked around and to my delight I saw Tony looked down at me with worried eyes. He was wearing his famous red and gold suit with sut smearing across the metal and his cheek. I began to feel the semi-hot metal pressing against my back and under my knees. Tony was holding me close to him as we hovered in the air. I couldn't believe the moment until the dry, burn in my lungs pulled me to complete reality. My body spasamed slightly, trying to heal itself from the damages that I had caused to myself.

Tony watched for a second as I began to pull myself together and take a few small, clean breaths of air. My tougne tried to moisten my dry and busted lip but it was useless. My mouth was aching for cool liquid to fill me. Tony sighed and shifted my body in his arms. "You had me worried sick about you." My eyes latched to his, smiling and moving my arms around his neck. I was happy to be alive for the first time. Happy that someone had cared for me and probably saved my life too. Tony smirked down at me before he threw his front mask over and tightened his hard grip around me. He pushed off and within a few seconds we had landed on his roof of his house. He didn't dare release me when he landed, when he took off his armor, or when he walked us inside and it made me have a flash back to last night. I was beginning to wonder if this was how I was always going to enter his house. I didn't mind it, not one bit but I wondered how Tony felt about it.

My eyes blinked back the slight dryness before I tried to read his emotions through his eyes. The suttlness of the color told me that he had a lot on his mind but the slight twinkle informed me that they weren't all bad thoughts. Tony led me through a few hallways up until we reached another white room that reminded me a lot like a doctor's office. He set me down on the table and turned away hesitantly before quickly turning back. "I tried...I tried to get someone to help you but everyone refused. I got worried...I needed you to get air and I began to panaic so..." Tony was trailing off and I was trying to understand what he was trying to say while ignoring the intense burning of my lungs. My hand raised to meet his cheek, shaking the silghtest. His cheek was faintly scratchy with his goaty but was soft none the less. Tony's mouth shut close and was about to lean into my touch but he stopped himself. I felt a little dissapointed at first. I shouldn't have expected any less to be truthful. My lips forced a smile and I pulled my hand away.

Tony looked at me and forced a smile too. "Can you...heal yourself?" My eyes trailed down my body. I had a few burns across my legs where the fire had got me. The slacks I did wear was now tattered shorts, falling apart into burnt lint balls. The burns were pretty bad but it was my lungs that I needed to take care of first. I lifted my wrist to make a writing motion and Tony fled to find a pad and pen. He came back in a blink of an eye, handing what I needed. I wrote down what I needed to say slowly, the burns across my wrists and down my forearms causing me to still my words a few times.

_"I can heal on the outside but not the inside. I can't heal what I can't see."_

Tony's eyes scanned over the note before turning around and running out of the room. I felt dizzy again and decided that I should rest on the table. My head rested against the cool metal as I thought about the box. If it had survived the fire then it should still be there, within the moutain of ash. I was going to need to find the box as soon as I could. Maybe Tony would help. I'm sure he would. A true smile formed as I thought about Tony. Speaking of the devil, he had just returned with a air tank and a mask. "Here, lets get some good air in ya'." I nodded and flinched when the cold plastic touched my busted lips. Tony turned a nosel and I was suddenly inhaling sweet air. It felt great but the instant mixture of clean air and lingering smoke caused me to go into a coughing fit. Tony pushed me to sit up as I removed the mask to let out my lungs. "Take it easy. Get it out of your system and then lie back down." I nodded and placed the mask back on, sucking a little air and coughing it back out.

This lasted for a few minutes before I was finally able to relax without damaging my lungs any further. Tony helped me back down on the table, brushing my hair from my face. His dark eyes looked worried for me and I began to feel so guilty. I was being selfish and it nearly costed my life. My hand gripped the pad and pen again as I began to write again, ignoring the burn.

_"I'm sorry Tony but I needed to get something in the fire. It was very important to me."_

Tony raised a eyebrow and his eyes glanced up as if he was thinking. He stood up and walked over to the far side of the room, picking something up and walking back. "Is this what you were after?" He lifted the untouched metal box in front of me. I nearly jumped off the table to launch at him. Tony had gotten the box and saved my life. My hands reached up and touched the warm box in front of me. Tony smiled at my expression and placed the box on the counter next to the table where I could see it. My eyes lingered on the box before daring to met Tony's. He smirked and shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. "When I had found you, you were looking at the box with a almost...needing gaze. I debated for a second and finally said, 'fuck it' and grabbed you along with this case. I don't understand what is in there that you would sacrifice so much for but I have no room to talk anyway." I wanted to chuckle but held it back since I didn't want to go through another coughing faze. I began to write and handed the note to him.

_"There are something's that are worth so much more than my own life. Only I can open it. Thank you for grabbing it too, I owe you so much Tony."_

He looked smirked and chuckled at my note. "Don't worry about it so much. Do you think that I can take a look inside?" He leaned forward and tried to seal the deal with a charming smile that made me weightless. He could instantly turn the worst kind of situation with only that one smile. I thought about the items inside the box. I wasn't sure if I should show Tony what dewelled and how he would react. If he reacted calmly to it then everything would be fine...but if he didn't then there would be a chance to send me over to S.H.E.I.L.D. My worst fear. He stayed still, our eyes locked while I thought this over. My mouth opened to take in more air before I wrote my answer down.

_"I will, there is something that I want to show you anyway but you must promise me something."_

Tony's smile fell slightly and he looked at me in the eye. "What is it?" My hands pushed me up from the table so I could sit. I motioned my hand for the box and Tony reached over and grabbed it for me. I gently took it from his hands and placed the box over my legs, keeping my eyes on him. By now my lungs had felt much better so I removed the mask. Tony tried to stop me but I brushed his hands away. I placed the pad on top of the box and wrote down the promise.

_"When you look inside, promise me that you won't send me away to S.H.E.I.L.D."_

Tony looked over the note and then met my eyes. He could see the fear in my eyes. Neither of us moved for a while until he broke out into a smile and a fit of giggles. I was not expecting that kind of reaction and waited patiently for him to finish to see what the hell was so damn funny. Tony clasped his hand on my shoulder and leaned his head down to my level. "For one, I would never send you to those assholes. That means that I would have to socialize with them. And two, I highly doubt that whatever is in that box is of any concern to them. Now...let's see what is inside." I felt very relieved but there was still those doubts in my mind about my trust in him. My fingers grazed over a small latch that had a lock that needed a long forgotten key. My tense muscles relaxed. A breath of air fell from my lips. I could feel Tony's harden gaze on me the whole time, making me a little nervous. Soon I felt a familiar sense of power coursed through my veins until it reached my finger tips. A small white light appeared in the shape of a small spear.

I pushed the spear light into the key hole and let the power melt and take shape of a key to unlock it. A small click sound let me know that the box had opened. Tony kept his distance but his eyes were filled with curiosity. My fingers carefully opened the box, light filling the small space. My eyes took a quick glance to Tony's before I opened it fully, relieved to see that everything inside was untouched. The lid was wide opened and exposed the items to our eyes. A small evolope was on top of three books and a white binder rested at the bottom. Tony stayed still and watched as I took the evolope up to show him the marker on the other side that read "Life Savings." He nodded his head and I put it to the side. My fingers took the first book that was a dark green color with silver ribbons etched on the cover. I took the second book that was slightly smaller but was a deep red and had a plane cover. I grabbed the last book, which was the biggest one, and pressed them all aginst my chest.

The biggest one was white and had a golden rose flower on the front cover. These books had meant the most to me. Tony looked over the book and I could tell that he was curious and losing his patience. He was rocking on his heels and I giggled, causing him to freeze on the spot. I took the biggest book and handed it over to him. His large hands carefully grasped the old book and gave me an unsure look. I smiled and pushed the book farther in his hands before turning back to the last item. My hand still pushed the other two books closer to me while my other gripped the binder. I brought it up and took a glance at Tony who had opened the book. His expression was entertaining as he realized that he could not read the incriptions. The words on the pages were of a language not of this world, something that I feared would get me a one-way ticket to S.H.E.I.L.D. My hands went back to the binder and opened it. The pages that I had personally worked on were safe and unharmed. This was what I wanted to show Tony and I hoped that he would like it.

I took out the first sheet of paper and looked over the image, smiling at how many hours I had spent working on it. "What language is this?!" I sighed and closed my eyes. Tony was know for being a genius but I find it hard to understand how he could not put two and two together. My hand reached up and took the book from his hold. His eyebrows met his hairline and looked as if he was trying to put words in some kind of a sentence. It was a interesting sight. My hand that held the paper moved to give it over to Tony. He stilled his gaze on the book before turning his attention to what I was holding him. He took it and stared at it with hard eyes. His lips were barely parted, sucking in a sharp breath of air and threw his head up at me. "This can't be possible!"


	5. Chapter 5

Hey** everybody! Sorry about those damn cliff hangers. I love to do that and I know that they can be a pain in the ass sometimes. :D I will try and not to do that in this chapter. (Can't promise anything after that lol)**

* * *

The sun had shined down and highlighted the glow of my armor. If everything went according to plan then I should have been with Riley at her apartment with whatever she wanted to show me. Instead, I had to quickly get my suit on and fly off to save her when I watched her bolt inside the building, **that was on fire! **I got to her in time and took her back home...umm, my home. Yeah that's what I meant. Her skin around her legs and arms were fairly burned, but I was worried about her lungs mostly. She would need to breath in order to live, obviously. I had hoped that she could heal herself but apparently she can't heal what she can't see, not good. I had ran out of the small room to search for a air tank and brought it back as she lied down on the metal gurney. I could tell from her expression that she was in a lot of pain. I tried to understand why in the hell she would do that. It was practically suicide pulling a stunt like that, and I should know. The memory of her lying against that wall sent a cold shiver down my spine. She looked dead, except for her face. Even with her eyes closed she looked like she was still looking for something. When I had grabbed her I had followed her closed gaze to a small, metal case that rested behind the wall, untouched. I had grabbed a hold of her and debated to grab it too. After a few second went by I had kicked myself and grabbed it to right before the floor caved out beneath us. I was able to save her but my mind kept going back to the what ifs.

It was pissing me off that I was getting so worked up for a girl that I barely knew. I'm losing my mind over this. But when I look into her soft eyes I'm almost happy to do so.

But when my eyes looked over the page in my hands I nearly had a heart attack. "This can't be possible!" Riley was watching me and from the corner of my eyes I could barely see the nervousness in her expression. She really didn't want to go to S.H.E.I.L.D., and I wouldn't blame her, but this was definitely pushing the limits.

The image on the page was a outline structure of my suit...and my arc reactor. It was clearly drawn out. There were notes written near the drawn image of my arc reactor that said, "Power source", "Large magnet", and "Universal engine". I looked up to her and tried to relax my eyebrows that were stretching up to my hair line. "What...is this? You have the secrets and weakness of my suit written here, things I have never told anyone. How is this possible?" Her hands still wrapped around the book were pulling them closer to her as if they were her life. She began writing and I was growing a little irritated. "I want to hear what you have to say. So start talking!" She flinched and I instantly regretted my temper. This woman had dark secrets and I was a little unsure if I could trust her with it.

Riley had her hands on the pad and looked as if she was debating what I had asked...or demanded from her. Her eyes were casted downward, staring at the empty page. My hands reached up to touch her shoulder but she pulled back away from me. I felt like I got bitch slapped by the Hulk. I sighed quietly. _Sir, Miss Potts is calling you again. Shall I ignore her call?_ The last thing I wanted to do was talk to her but Riley wanted to be left alone and I couldn't avoid Pepper forever. "No...I'll answer her call." I stepped back from Riley and rested my back against the opposite wall. "Hello?"

The was a short pause before I got a response. "Tony? Yeesh! I thought you would never answer me again."

I almost smiled at the sound of her voice. I hated to admit it but it was nice to hear it again, when it wasn't yelling at me. "Yeah...sorry about that. Whatcha need?"

"Well I was just watching TV when I happen to come across the news and apparently Tony Stark had pushed around a few fire fighters about half an hour ago." There was silence and I was about to open my mouth when she beat me to it. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

Both Riley and I cringed. "I had a very good explanation as to why I was pushing them around. Okay, that doesn't sound as good as I thought it would but I still had a very good reason for that." I tried reasoning with her but I should know better. Pepper always wins.

"I don't care what your reason was! Those men were risking their lives today-"

I jumped from the wall and threw my head up to the ceiling. "The only life they were risking was Riley who was inside that fire! They refused to put out the fire and everyone in the city came to see her burn to the ground! I had to do something!" Short gasps of breath filled the silence and I tired to remember what I had just said. My eyes glanced over to Riley who was watching me with intense curiosity.

"What...what did you just say?" My eyes closed and the palm of my hand began to rub my face.

"Look, you should know me better than anyone. I would never do something like that without a good reason. A young woman named Riley was hated throughout this town and they decided to burn down the only place she has with all of her personal belongings. When she realized that she went into the fire to grab something important to her. The firefighters on the scene just smiled and walked away, I had to do something and when nobody listened to me then I went and got her out of there myself." I sucked in a sharp breath of air before continuing. "I know what I did was wrong and I'm sorry _Mom_."

Riley was giving me a questionable and I waved her off. "So this woman, Riley...is she alright?"

My lips curved into a small smile. "Yes, her lungs were slightly charred and she has a lot of burns on her arms and legs but other than that she is okay." I looked her over and a thought came. "Oh! Can I ask you a quick question?"

We heard her sigh into the phone. "What is it Tony?"

"Is there anyway you can give away any clothes you don't wear anymore. Some baggy shirts nad pants if you can."

Pepper was silent for a second. "Are the clothes for Riley?" She sounded surprised and a bit taken back.

"Yes, just until I can go and take her shopping for some new clothes." Everyone was quiet for the moment. I watched Riley as she began to scribble on the note pad.

"Alright, I'll come by tonight and drop off a few outfits for her. Anything else?" I like this Pepper, always considerate for others when the time was needed.

"No that's it. Thanks Pepper." We said goodbye and JARVIS hung up the phone. A awkward silence rested between Riley and I. My hands found their way into my pockets before I stepped closer to her. "Look,...I'm sorry for snapping at you like that. I was freaked out that you knew these things about me that even S.H.E.I.L.D. doesn't know." Riley looked up at me and out eyes locked on each other. She nodded her head.

"It's okay..." My heart did an cartwheel and my stomach summer salted all around inside me. Her voice was softer and more heavenly than the first time. I couldn't believe that this woman could have this effect on me, to this extent! And for the first time in a while, I felt myself beginning to blush. Heat ran up to my cheeks and neck. I was so transfixed on the two words that she said that I didn't realize that she had held up her note to me. I shook my head and read it.

_"I have never seen a guy blush before. It's kinda cute!"_

That's it. I threw my hands up and walked up to her. "I give up." Her eyebrow rose just before I carefully placed my hands around her soft cheeks. I pulled our lips together and for that split moment I was in complete bliss. A white fire enflamed in the pit of my stomach that coursed through my body, giving me a rush of desire. Her lips were as smooth as a rose petal and tasted a little sweet from the syrup. She was completely eatable.

Riley didn't move, she froze on the spot. It made me nervous that she might reject me. There were sometimes that women would turn me down but the thought of Riley pushing me away made fear grow in my heart. I didn't want to let her go, ever. Just as I was about to pull away I felt small hands run up my chest before wrapping around the back of my neck. Her lips began to move against mine and that was when I felt completely relaxed. I had nothing to worry about, she had accepted me. I moved my hands from her face to move up into her hair, feeling the softness of it. She made a squeak and jumped slightly. I pulled away and looked down at her. Riley's eyes were glazed and filled with lust making her look as if she was glowing. I was too transfixed with her expression that I didn't realize my hands were gripping her a little too hard. I pulled away to only have her grab them. Our eyes met and she gave me a sheepish smile.

I chuckled and rubbed her hands. "Sorry, didn't mean to hurt ya'." She had a small blush growing on her cheeks. "Hehe, I think that your blush is cute too." I smirked at her and she turned away, the redness of her face growing darker. Her hands playfully pushed me away as she tried to stop her smile from getting any bigger. I laughed and gripped her hips lightly, making her just accidently. Our eyes met again before my face broke into a large grin. "Oh? Are we ticklish there?" Her head swung from side to side but I knew the truth. My fingers began to brush her hips again. Riley gasped loudly and shut her mouth to keep her giggles from escaping. I felt myself growing brave and began to tickle her faster, moving from her hips to her ribcage and back.

Riley gasped for air and would occasionally squeak. It was so damn cute I found myself laughing before she managed to squeeze out of my grasp. She quickly grabbed the envelope, binder and her books before facing me. Her eyes were locked on mine while a devilish smirk made itself known on her lips. I was surprised to see her standing in front of me with the burns on her legs but soon became dumfounded when she took off, leaving me to gulp like a dry fish. It took me a second to get my bearings together and smiled wide, casing after her as fast as I could.

* * *

We had ran all over the damn house, including the roof before I finally caught her in the living room. To be honest I think she let me catch her. I picked her up and tossed her on the couch, watching her bounce a few times. She was glowing with her smile, making me feel complete. Riley sat up and motioned the seat next to her. I sat down, not realizing how much I was breathing while she seemed perfectly normal. I was sucking in large gulps of air to fill my suddenly dry lungs. Riley simply smiled and waited. Her eyes gazed over her legs and her smile slowly faded away. Her hands grazed over the damaged flesh and slowly it began to heal. The skin began to patch itself up and the color started to reappear. It took a few minutes, plenty of time for me to take a break, and she was finally able to heal her legs. She looked over her arms and shrugged before opening the binder again. I moved so I could sit closer, our thighs and hips brushing. "Whatcha doin'?"

She smiled and pulled out another sheet of paper before looking at me. Her eyes were studying mine before she hesitantly gave me the slip of paper. She seemed to be worried and it hit me that she may be afraid about how I would react. I sighed and mentally slapped myself for my behavior. "Riley, I won't bark at you like that again. I promise." I looked at her in the eye before even glancing at the paper in my hand. She gave me a short nod and grabbed her envelope and opened it. I tore my gaze at her and braced myself for what she wanted to show me, for the second time.

Apparently I didn't brace myself enough.

A perfectly drawn image of the Tesseract was in the middle of the page. Small notes surrounded the image along with a smaller version of a cartoonish me at the bottom right corner. I swallowed the dry lump in my throat, contemplating the many different words that were all kinds of confused inside my brain. I wasn't sure what I was trying to say so I decided to start with a question. "Hey Riley?" She looked at me when she stopped counting her money. "How do you know about the Tesseract?" Her eyes looked down at the image and looked back up to me. She didn't move for a while until JARVIS's voice broke the silence. _Sir, Miss Potts is here. Shall I let her in? _I glanced up to the ceiling. "Yeah, thanks JARVIS."

Riley looked around the room, seemingly unsure what to do. I motioned my hand for her to stay while I walked up to the door. Pepper walked in with a small plastic bag in her hand. "Hey Tony." I smiled politely and accepted her hug when she opened up her arms. "I have about three days worth of clothing for her plus pajamas."

I took the bag from her and turned to the side. "Thanks Pepper, you're the best. You want to come in?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I want to see the lucky girl who has caught your attention now." We both chuckled playfully and I showed her to the couch where Riley sat nervously in her seat, much like when we were in the limo. Pepper stepped up and extended her hand to her. "Hello, I'm Pepper. It's nice to meet you." Riley stood up and eyed Pepper's hand questionably. They both seemed unsure about each other. I went to speak up to break the awkward silence but Riley made the first move and gently grasped Pepper's hand, giving it a firm shake. They both smiled, as if they understood each other without using words. It made me uncomfortable, I felt as if they could plot my demise that way.

"Well...umm, what's going on with you lately?" Pepper turned towards me and shrugged her shoulders.

"Not much, relaxing mostly in California. I love it here." I nodded in agreement. Riley walked out of the room and disappeared from out sights. Pepper raised a questionable eyebrow. "She doesn't talk much. Is she okay?"

I sighed again and gave Pepper a short nod. "Yeah, Riley doesn't like to talk. I don't know why so don't ask. I think she is alright." Pepper crossed her arms and faced me again.

"I would ask if she was wearing my slacks but I would rather not know." We both chuckled.

"Well...she HAD a lovely dress before it was caked in mud." Pepper's eyes widen slightly and I began to tell her the story about Sara to the fire about a hour ago. Pepper had stayed silent and listened carefully until I was finished with my story. "Anyway...she is a amazing girl and is gifted for some reason. And for some reason she fears S.H.E.I.L.D. ."

Pepper tapped her fingers on her forearms. "I wouldn't blame her. Do you realize what they would do to her if they found out that a naturally born human girl is gifted with these powers?" She slightly shook. "The would test her to no end. She is probably scared shitless to be more accurate."

She was probably right about that. Something else was triggered in my head. Sara had said that no one knew her parents. I began to wonder if she really was human. Soon, Riley came back with her note pad and pen in her hands, writing down something. She turned it to face us.

_"She looks nowhere near old enough to be your mother! What the hell?!"_

Pepper busted up laughing and I rubbed my eyes with the tips of my fingers. "Very funny..." I peeked one eye open, watching as she seemed to relax and smile.

* * *

Pepper stayed and hung out with us before leaving just as then sun was setting in the distance. Riley was perched up on a stool while I made some more milkshakes, putting some extra chocolate in the blender. Riley had started writing down and didn't stop until the blender had mixed everything together. I finished pouring our glasses before I took the first note and began to read it.

_"I like Pepper, she is really nice. Like Sara. I'm going to explain about the pages quickly and if you have anymore questions then wait until you finish reading. I'm pretty sure you are aware of the abilities I posses. So to some extent, I am a bit more developed mentally than most humans. Years ago I was fascinated with the stars and was granted these books. It was long until I had learned the language and the secrets within it, one including the Tesseract. I studied its' power and found out some interesting things about it with my mentor. When you first became Iron Man, I was highly intrigued that you were able to create such a device on your own. I soon studied your suit and what powers it, the arc reactor. After about a year of being a creep and learning about the arc reactor, I had found that the Tesseract and your arc reactor hold similar properties. Meaning that if you could harvest that power, even the slightest bit, your would have a unlimited power source that would be unstoppable and unbreakable." _

My eyes kept rereading the note over and over until they grew tired. I took a sip of the drink and placed the note against the counter. "Yeah...I have a couple of questions. First off, "creep"?" She blushed and took the note before folding it and placing it off to the side. Her hands skimmed across the paper as she wrote her response. I took it from her when she was done.

_"I am embarrassed to say that I was...very interested in you and found ways to sneak into your system and mind."_

The words were a little badly written, showing me how nervous she was. I chuckled and shook my head. "I know I can attract some attention...but damn. I didn't think I would bring home my own stalker." Her brows knitted together and her cheeks burned red with embarrassment. My hands reached over and patted the top of her head. "No need to be so high strung. Now for my second question." She sighed quietly and rested her head in her hands. "Who was your mentor? I was under the impression that you had nobody to look over you growing up."

Riley sat up and looked as if she was cursing under her breath. I could tell that she forgot that she mentioned that. My hands gripped the cold glass and I took a good chug of the milkshake, cringing when I received a short brain freeze. She giggled and sipped her milkshake gingerly. When she reached for her pen I placed my hand over hers. "Forget it, it's not important. I know that it was a touchy subject." Her eyes matched mine and she visibly relaxed, finishing off her drink. I took the glasses and washed them in the sink. We returned to the living room and I picked up the paper with the Tesseract drawn on it. If what she was telling me was true then she would be a brilliant woman to have around, working for me. The thought brought a large smile on my face. Having Riley around to help me out when it came to experiments and debate would be fun.

Riley stood next to me and held out her note.

_"If I may ask you one thing, can it be for me to work under you? Please?"_

I swear she can read minds! I threw the note over my shoulder and grabbed her to pull her into a hug. "I was just thinking that! I would be honored to have you in my industries!" Riley didn't hesitate to return the gesture and grip me tightly. I held her there for a moment before forcing my self to let her go. "Of course that would mean that you would have to come back to New York with me and leave California. Do you still want to do that?" The fear of her rejection was stupidly resting at the back of my head. I felt like a idiot for having to think that she would say no to me but I couldn't help it. Riley rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, giving me all kinds of attitude. I held up my hands to surrender. "I had to ask, forgive me." I bent over to bow before her and I heard her giggle. The spark of desire filled and clouded my heart and mind again, giving me a familiar rush of bravery. I stood fully and took a step closer to her, growing more happy when she stepped closer too. My arms held her close to me as hers rested on my chest. Our lips meeting again for a heated kiss.

* * *

_Deep in the dark cell sat Loki, alone and simmering in intense anger. His mind had always been on Riley since the first day he had met her and wanted to keep her for himself. He left her in hopes of becoming the king of her world the next time he saw her. Sadly, he had failed that vision and now he fears he may lose her completely and to that bastard human, Tony Stark. Oh, how ironic that he would be the one to find her and keep her to himself. _

_Loki's teeth grinded against each other as the pit of pure hatred for Tony grew. Loki always watched over Riley, hating that he was never there to protect her when she needed him, but he was disgusted when Stark came to her rescue instead. That was suppose to be his job! Loki pulled away from the scene and began to plan for his escape soon, not waiting to be with his Riley any longer. She would be his even if that meant to destroy everything that stood in his way. And he means everything!_


	6. Chapter 6

God...if this is a dream, then please never wake me up again. That would be my only request from you.

Tony's arms were strong but comforting at the same time. He held me like he never wanted to lose me. I had never experienced something like this before, this exhilarating experience. Tony had asked me to work for him even after he found out what I am...well the important parts anyway. There were some small details that I would probably need to share with him in the near future but I wasn't going to allow this moment to end. I finally had a chance to escape the past and start a new and with Tony's help, I can finally achieve my dream of being a famous artist and travel the world.

The warmth of Tony's arms shattered my thoughts and I looked up to see what was going on. Tony had pulled away to answer his phone. "Hey, what's up?...No, I'm in California currently. It's a long story, why?...I was planning on leaving tomorrow, we can talk then but-" Tony glanced down at me and seemed to have a million thoughts run through his mind all at once. "-Yeah, I'm still here. I was saying was that I am bringing someone with me... No, It's nothing like that...She is going to be working for me personally. I hired her today... Again, no, it's nothing like that." He sighed deeply and that made me nervous. Tony took his arm that was still resting on my hip to rub his eyes. He was clearly aggravated about something. I wished that I could hear what was causing him to be so stressed.

"Alright, I hear you Caps. I will be there sometime tomorrow, I can't guarantee when I will be there so I will have JARVIS inform you guys...Yeah...You too, night." Tony ended the call and glared daggers at the phone, as if he was trying to send a bolt of fire to whom ever was on the other end. Had this not made me nervous for us I would have found his attitude to be very entertaining. Tony looked down at me and gave me worried look and tried to cover it up with a smile. It didn't work.

I took his hand and began to rub the surprisingly soft skin on the back of his hand, trying to comfort him since that was just a day of firsts for me. Tony visibly relaxed and I began to get really worried as to why he was so tense after one phone call. Our eyes locked and I reached up to yank the phone from his grasp. He was a little taken back. I walked away and placed the phone on the counter and reached for my pen to write. I was very quick with this and handed the note over.

_"I don't like that way that one phone call made you tense and upset. Who was that?"_

Tony ran his fingers through his hair, contemplating something. His gaze stayed on the page for a while before he turned and motioned me to follow. I did and we sat on the white couch. His posture was slouched, his shoulders rolled forward and his hands picking at each other. I watched Tony as he was doing something on the inside of his mouth, distracting me from the immense expression in his eyes. Tony faced me and I straightened myself out, feeling anxious suddenly. "That call was from Caps, my friend...His name is Steve Rogers or better known as Captain America..." I stayed silent and urged him to continue with my hands. Tony leaned back against the couch and glanced out the window for a second and then he turned back to me. "Apparently S.H.E.I.L.D. received word from Thor about something. It had everyone on their feet and they want me back soon so we all can get the news at once."

My body cringed at the mention of S.H.E.I.L.D. but I listened to everything carefully. I was kinda lost for what the problem was, I didn't recognize the name, Thor. I wrote on another sheet of paper and showed it him.

_"Who is Thor and why is it so bad to be getting word from him?"_

Tony chuckled and leaned forward, getting a little more comfortable. "Thor was with us when New York was attacked by the aliens...you did hear about that right?" I rolled my eyes and nodded my head. Of course I knew about that, although I didn't know why or who caused it I didn't think that it was such a big deal since S.H.E.I.L.D. took care of everything. Tony breathed out in relief and continued. "Well the bastard who caused that problem was the brother of Thor and when we stopped him Thor took him away to see to his punish. If Thor is calling us then something happened...which is very bad." I nodded my head and understood the situation. This must mean that Thor's brother probably got away and that was what was causing Tony to stress out. I reached out and kissed his cheek before wrapping my arms around his neck. He gripped me tightly to his body, savoring the contact without hesitation. I pulled away slightly and found myself drawn to his intelligent eyes. Tony noticed this and smirked.

Tony and I sat there for a few hours before deciding to order pizza and chug down on a two litter of Pepsi. He and I discussed how I was to be starting work and what he would be expecting of me. He decided to put me in his personal workshop to tinker with his suits and such while he would be away from his work. I agreed and when he told me how much he would be paying me I nearly spurt out half a cup of soda on him. Ten thousand a week...holy shit! He laughed at my expression and choked on a bite of his pizza. He was fine but that was my turn to laugh my ass off at his expression. He froze and stared at me with harden eyes. I also froze and wonder what was wrong. Tony smirked, "I really like your laugh..." Heat rose to my cheeks and I carefully placed my glass on the table just as Tony sprang forward and captured me, pinning me to the ground. I was just barely able to hold back a squeak. He laughed at me and we began kissing again. It didn't go any farther than that and we were both okay with that.

After some time later we had left to go to bed, getting prepared for the long trip tomorrow. I had changed into Pepper's pajamas before going to sleep. A light blue tank top and dry sweat pants. They were very comfy and I felt myself falling asleep with a smile on my lips.

* * *

My hands gripped the armrests of my seat long after the jet had taken off. I refused to let go even after the muscles in my fingers cramped up. Tony was highly amused with my reaction to being on a plane for the first time. He reclined in his seat, his hands folded in his lap with one knee resting on top his other. He looked so comfortable, relaxing like that. I decided that I was being ridiculous and forced my fingers to let go of the white leather armrests, leaving behind crescent indents that showed proof of my fear for flying. Looking at the marks I suddenly felt bad and sigh in aggravation. Tony chuckled and got up out of his seat. "I find it funny that you would be so nervous and scared when sitting in probably the most safe aircraft in the world but when it comes to being carried around by Iron Man you don't even bat a eyelash." He walked over and opened a small refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of whisky and a can of soda for me. He sat back down and handed it over to me. I had felt the muscles in my cheeks flex when I smiled at him. He was right and I tried to understand why. I popped open my soda that was Pepsi, to my delight, and sipped the dark carbonated drink.

I took my notepad and pen, writing my answer to him. Tony sipped his drink and watched my carefully. My eyes glanced at his drink and my lips curled in disgust. I had never liked alcoholic drinks and never understood why other would be so fond of them. They would burn and leave me dizzy and sick after one sip. I had finish writing and showed him my note.

_"You have a good point there. I think that is because I feel more safe in the arms of a hero than a giant deathtrap of a 'Aircraft'."_

Tony smiled to himself. I must have been stroking his ego and made a mental note to be careful with that. He leaned forward and offered his drink to me. I shook my head to decline his offer. Tony pointed to my soda and I handed it over. He looked at me and gave me his trademark smirk. "Will you try something?" My eyebrow arched upwards but I nodded anyway, I trusted him. Tony reached over and gripped a glass, throwing a few small ice cubes before pouring some of my soda. About three-fourths was fill and he poured a small splash of his dark whisky in with the soda. I wasn't so sure about it but I didn't deny Tony when he handed the glass to me. I was hesitant as I brought the rim of the glass to my lips. The smell of the harsh liquor was carefully covered my the sweetness of my soda. I tipped the glass and let the cold drink run over my tongue and down my throat. It was surprisingly good. What should've been a harsh bite was actually more of a teasing nip in my throat. The soda mix with the whisky, making a cold fire of gold settle in my stomach.

And I liked it.

Tony was satisfied with my reaction to the mixed drink and settled back into his seat. "I thought you would like it." I knew he was having a proud moment but didn't feel as it was necessary to ruin it. My lips consumed anther small taste of my drink before placing in on the table between us. My eyes looked over to the window, taking in the view of blue and white. The clouds melted against the blue sky like cotton candy. I had to admit that this was quite the experience, enjoying it with Tony.

I felt a hand on my knee so I turned to see what was touching me. I looked up to see Tony tracing the design of my pant leg. I had put on some worn-out jeans that had a faded butterfly print that was a mix of black and silver. My shirt was a red tank top with a black coat draped lazily over my shoulders. I thought that I looked like I was back in high school, bringing back some unfortunate memories, and I tried to change into something else. Tony had denied me and said that I was a hot chili pepper; probably referring to the red top and my small figure. I blushed and accepted the complement before we reached the jet and now I had felt a little more at ease with my, or Pepper's, clothes. Tony seemed to be calculating something that had to do with the butterfly. He was deep in thought so I let him be and tried not to shiver when his finger would trace ghostly numbers on me.

After some time went by he pulled away and reached into his small bag to pull out a tablet. He was making some note and saving them into the files. Once he was done he had put it away and took a drink of the whisky. I physically cringed at the sight and decided that I didn't like it. I reached over and took his glass from his large hands. Tony rose a eyebrow and smirked. "If you wanted some more then you should've just asked." I narrowed my eyes on his and shook my head before offering my own drink to him. He seemed confused but took it anyways while I began to write on my pad.

_"I don't like the way you drink like that. That stuff will kill you if you're not careful."_

Tony scoffed but took a good amount of my drink, making no attempts to reach for his whisky for the rest of the flight to New York. My lips quirked into a smile when I realized that I had won a little battle. I probably would be pushing my limits if I try it again so I would need to get use to it anyway. But for now, I'm going to be savoring in the blissful moment and enjoy the rush of anticipation.

* * *

I couldn't believe my eyes as I gazed over the city. We were landing soon after sitting in the jet for eight, almost nine, hours. I had seen pictures that showed the beautiful outlook of New York...I was not expecting this though. Over half of the city was still in crumbles from the attack. Large pieces of buildings rested in the streets. Glass covered the ground, making a sharp glare of the light from the sun almost unbearable. Dirt and blood stuck to the sides of whatever was left of the ground and walls. It was a horrible sight, something that brought instant depression and guilt to my heart. I couldn't even imagine how many people were hurt, let alone killed. My fingers gently pressed against the glass of the window as I pushed myself closer to the scene before me. I hated it but yet I couldn't pull away.

"Terrible isn't it. Even though it was months ago we are still trying to finish off with the basic cleaning. It will take the rest of the year before we are able to scrape the rubble and dirt from the city. Another few years until we can probably take the large pieces of buildings and asphalt out of the streets. All around... I suspect at least five to ten years to clean up. And many more to start rebuilding." My heart clenched and my eyes started to become blurry from my tears that tried to escape. I closed my eyes and tore away from the window to stare into my lap.

Tony sighed and reached over to pat my head. Just before he pulled away he buckled me into my seat and repeated the process with himself. We were landing, which was pretty smooth. Tony escorted me out of the jet and pulled me close to him as we headed for a limo that was parked on the other side of the runway. Tony's large hand held on to mine while his other pulled out his cell phone and called someone. I slid inside first and settled myself down, a good distance away from him. Tony noticed this as he was talking. "Yeah...Yep we are fine, the flight went smoothly... Thanks again... You too, bye." He hung up and I guessed that it was Pepper. My eyes stole a glance at him as he began to make another call. Tony ran his fingers through his hair and motioned for the driver to go. We were just barely moving when Tony had started talking. "Hey, I'm back...Yeah, everything went just fine and I'm heading back to my place right now..."

Tony's eyes grew wide and he straightened out in his seat. "No, I can't have that-Hey! Listen!...My answer is no, I can come to you guys...I have my own reasons Caps." That name caught my attention so I tuned my ears to try and pick up what they were talking about. "I said no, I will get my suit and head out to your direction. Case closed." Tony hung up and let out a low growl. unfortunately, I wasn't able to piece together their conversation. My fingers instinctively went to write but I held back. Tony was stressed so I sucked in a sharp breath of air.

"...Is everything okay?" Tony jumped slightly but I kept my vision in my lap. For some reason I couldn't look at him, it was frightening. Tony didn't answer me for a moment but he moved closer to me and stretched out his hand for me. I glanced at it and took it. He held on tightly, but not painfully.

"That was Caps...he wanted the rest of the Avengers to met up at my place." My fingers gripped his rough palm, still refusing to look at him. "I was afraid how you would react so I told him that I would head over to their base...for some reason I don't think that they are going to listen to me." I had a feeling that this wasn't going to be as smooth as I hoped but I guess I should've expected that when I am moving in with a Avenger. I felt Tony's other hand clasp over mine and his voice became softer. "Please believe me when I say that I won't let them take you. They are coming for a meeting about Thor's brother, nothing more."

I breathed a sigh through my nose and lifted my head at him. His eyes held a small sliver of fear in his irises. He was trying to help and I wasn't giving him enough credit. So I lifted my lips into a small smile and moved closer to him until I sat in his lap. I felt his muscles loosen up and blew out a gust of air. I stayed there and realized that I was falling asleep. I now understood what people meant when they talk about jet-lag and passed out a second later.

* * *

My arms were lazily around Tony's neck as he carried me in his house. I giggled and shook my head. That was it, that was how I was always going to walk in his house, in his arms like a newly married wife. Tony seemed to really like our position due to the fairly large grin on his face. We, or he, strolled in and Tony gracefully walked further into his house. His hands held on my hips and his fingers began to poke my sides, making me squirm and him laugh. I smacked his chest playfully and he only laughed more. "Come on, you know you like it." He was teasing me with his smile. I stuck out my tongue at him and giggled at his expression.

"God, kill us now." I froze and Tony jumped a few feet back. That must have been one of the Avengers that the voice came from. Tony growled and began to yell at JARVIS but I ignored it all. My brain forced my eyes to look in the direction where the deep voice came from. By a island in the kitchen stood four men and one woman. There was a tall and well built man with blond hair, a small blond who was standing very close to a red-head woman wearing a revealing suit. Sitting on a stool was a nerdy man with brown hair who didn't pay any attention to us but it was the African American man with the eye patch that sent fear into my heart. Their eyes glanced from Tony to me, sizing me up. I was growing uncomfortable and forced my way out of Tony's arms.

Tony stared at me but he understood my jumpiness. The African American stepped closer and I instinctively stepped back, keeping distance between me and them. My eyes casted downward with my hands already balled into fists. I was ready to defend myself if it came to it. The rest of them started walking forward but stayed by Tony. The woman crossed her arms and looked at Tony. "So, who is she?"

Her voice was filled with venom, she clearly didn't like me. Tony turned and faced them with his back to me. "She is my new employee. She will be working in the lab with me. Now let's get down to business so I can take a damn nap." The nerdy man narrowed his eyes on me and stepped closer to me. He didn't seem dangerous but if he was a Avenger then I was not to underestimate him. Before I knew it he was right in front of me with his hand outstretched.

"Hey, I'm Bruce. Nice to meet you." I looked up at him through my lashes and kept my stance still, not moving. He stuttered as he pulled his hand back. The others had began to watch us. The woman strolled over to me like I was nothing to her.

"Do you talk at all?" Her arm raised and my muscle memory kicked in. My right foot stepped back into a front stance and my fist rose to my front protectively. She also got into her own stance and waited for me to attack. Tension rose in the room, our eyes didn't blink as we stayed in our positions. Tony tried to walk over to the woman to calm her down but she wasn't loosening up. "I don't trust and like her Tony. Where did you find this one? In a bar?" My teeth gritted and my lips curled in distaste. She was basically calling me a whore. I found myself growling, catching everyone's attention. Tony tried to come between us again but I was not letting this woman to get away with her loose tongue.

As fast as I could I pounced forward and took her to the ground. My hands gripped her throat but she kicked me in the gut and sent me onto my back. She jumped up and pulled out a twin pair of guns at me. I got up as well and felt my power surge through me along with my anger. The short blond tried to stop her but she ignored them all. "Come on Tasha, let it go. You had it coming." She opened her mouth to reply but I beat her to the punch by punching her in the face. Her head flung back and came back with the butt of her gun to come and hit my head. I saw it coming and gripped her wrist, catching her off-guard. Her eyes widen slight and studied me. My other hand reached up and grabbed her throat again so I could head-butt her. It was just and painful for her as it was for me but I was use to pain so I recovered instantly.

I knelt down and swiped her feet, making her fall on her face. Without hesitating I jumped on her and took both of her arms to hold them against her back. She grunted and tried to fight it, only being able to ruin her hair. My breathing was deep and fast. It had been a while since I had to fight anyone and I was a little rusty. Her head turned up to me. "Get off at me." I leaned forward so that my nose barely grazed her cheek. My eyes bore into hers before forcing her twisted arms more upwards, causing her to gasp from the sharp pain.

Tony placed his hand on my shoulder and I tore away from her. "Riley, you made your point now get off of her...please." His voice was soft and held no authority. He was simply asking. It made my mind to relax and the rush of energy fade away. I turned back to her and looked at the others. They were all shocked, including the eye patch man. I suddenly felt bad and loosened my grip on her before jumping back. She slowly pulled herself off the ground with the help of the smaller blond. She refused to look at me as she nursed her arms. Tony sighed and pulled me behind him. "Her name is Riley Janssen. Now you tell me what is going on so we can get this over with." A sound of thunder and lightening caught all of our attention. The window next to us showed the sky that suddenly turned black as the clouds covered the sky. Tony chuckled and I could see him smirking in the reflection of the glass. "I was wondering when Point Break would be showing up."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! I did say that I didn't promise anymore cliffhangers. :P Anyway, thank you for your reviews. I already know that this story is going to be long and Riley will be speaking soon. How soon, I'm not sure. *Riley and Tony walk in***

**Riley: Well it better be soon, I'm getting writers' crap.**

**Me: -_- How do you think I feel?**

**Tony: By any chance, is there going to be a topless scene coming yet?**

**Riley and Me: No**

**Tony: *Pouts***

* * *

I was thoroughly pissed off when I saw everyone in my kitchen, even though I had expected them. For a split moment I had forgotten Riley that rested in my arms until she broke free from me. Her emotions rolled off of her like a addicting perfume. Anger, fear and surprised. The look in her eyes, complete distortion, was kept to the floor. They were beautiful like always, even in this situation. Cold heat burn in her pupils igniting her source of power to run through her. I knew that the other were going to pick up on it so I thought up of ways to get them out of here as soon as I could. Distracting people was always easy but for the Avengers, it came as a great challenge. Though I did have everyone's attention...except Bruce. He walked right up to her and extended his arm to greet her. Bruce would be one of the few people that could understand the self-control it takes to hold in such anger and I thought that maybe he and Riley could get along.

But she had denied him. No surprise there. I watched as her eyes scanned everyone, watching for any reason to attack or defend. Tasha walked right up as if Riley posed no threat to her. If she only knew. Extreme tension rolled off the two, causing the rest of us to pull back. Caps came up to me and asked me something but I didn't pay any attention to what he was saying. He poked me and I was about to look at him when the two broke into a fighting stance and attack. They were both fast but Tasha got a good hit on Riley. Clint tried to convince Tasha to stop and then Riley got up and in a split moment she had Tasha under her. I had never known anyone who could pin her so quickly. I had to stop this before it got out of hand. I reached over and carefully grasped Riley's shoulder, catching her attention. Riley pulled away and I was about to start talking when we all heard thunder roaring outside.

Thor was coming.

Riley seemed unsure about the sudden change of weather so I pulled her closer to me, wrapping my arm around her waist to secure her to me. Her muscles had loosened slightly. We all watched the scene and within seconds a bright flash of lightening filled our vision. Thor was landing out on my patio with his normal warrior get-up and giant hammer to his side. It is good seeing him again, even though nothing good would come from it, but good none the less. He smiled at us and walked in with his arms outstretched. "Hello my friends! Tis' good to see you all again!" Thor's eyes scanned us until they landed on Riley behind me. "And who is this fair Lady?!" I felt her cringe from Thor's loud, booming voice.

I spoke up and stepped closer to him. "It's good to see you Thor. This is Riley Janssen, she will be staying with me for a while." Thor craned his neck to get a better look at her. He frowned and pulled away and then turned to everybody else.

"I wish I had come on a better notice but I'm afraid that I might need your aid with my brother. May we sit and talk?" We all agreed and found our way back to my kitchen. Clint, Caps, Bruce, and Tasha sat down on the stools. Fury stood to the side and kept his eye on Riley who stayed close to my side. Thor leaned over the island and waited as I pulled out some glasses and whisky. Riley moved away for a moment so she could grab a soda from my fridge. I was surprised that I had any in there. She popped it open and poured some in a glass and topped it off with the whisky, a ghost smile resting on her lips.

I handed everyone their drinks and looked over to Fury. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Fury nodded his head and took a drink from his glass. "As Thor had said, his brother is back again." Thor looked ashamed and turned away for a moment. "He had informed us yesterday that while the Allfather was sentencing his punishment he was able to slip past them and land back on Earth."

Thor sighed and spoke up before anyone else could take a gasp for air. "You need not to worry so much. Although my brother has escaped he has none of his magic with him. Even though he still causes a great threat here, I am happy to say that many of your people will be spared."

Everyone stayed silent after that and took a few sips of their drinks, letting the news soak in. Riley had both of her hands around her glass, her eyes studied the liquid. The silence was almost killing me until I heard Riley's stomach roar from hunger. Everyone's eyes were on her. Her face was beyond red and was practically crimson. I chuckled and walked over to my pantry. "Are you hungry? What would you like to eat?" She looked around and shuffled her feet to where I was, glancing a what I had in storage. Her finger pointed at a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos. I grabbed it for her and we went back to the island bar. Riley opened the bag and happily began to crunch on the chips. Fury finished his drink and placed the glass on the bar. I, of course, refilled it.

"We need to start searching through security cams and see if anyone has spotted a lengthy man with black hair who has tried to take over our planet a few months back." His sarcastic voice was entertaining. Bruce and Clint rolled their eyes. Tasha seemed to be lost in thought and Caps stood up.

"We need to start now, the faster we find him the better chance their will be that no more innocents will be hurt in the crossfire." We all nodded to that and I raised my glass.

"Cheers! To successfully capturing Loki!" We all raised our glasses and tipped our heads back to drink. The shattering of a glass caused time to sill for the moment. My head twisted over to Riley, watching as her whole body began to shake. "Hey...are you aright?" Her eyes seemed lost in time. I reached out to touch her to just get smacked away by Fury. He shook his head and stood in front of her. Thor grew tense and got up as well to walk over to us.

Thor bent down to study Riley. I felt overly protective and wanted to push the both of them away. I didn't like the fact that there was two men standing and staring too close to Riley. A second later she shook her head and sucked in a large gulp of air. Her body began to lose its balance so I held on to her. All of our attention was now on her to figure out what was wrong. She whipped her head towards me, eyes glistening with fear and her small hand grabbed for the collar of my shirt.

"DID YOU SAY LOKI?!"

I was at a loss for words. She actually spoke to me, well yelled but same difference. Our eyes were glued to each other, ignoring the others that were watching us like hawks. Especially Hawkeye, hehe. I swallowed the lump in my throat and covered her hands with my own. "Yes...Loki was the one who attacked New York. Why?..." Riley narrowed her eyes and pulled away. Her hands tangled themselves into her own hair. She was distressed and it was killing me. "What's wrong? Riley?"

Thor sighed and swooped up to grabbed Riley and throw her over his shoulder. She gasped, clearly not expecting this. I grew angry and marched in front of Thor. Fury grabbed me. "No, Stark. She knows something about Loki and we need to know what it is. We are taking her back to S.H.E.I.L.D. base." Riley froze and took a second to think about what we all heard before she thrashed about in Thor's large arm. Fear was written all over her face and I was not letting that happen.

"JARVIS! Lock all entrances and exits!" _Yes Sir! _I stopped in front of Thor, growling. "Let. Her. Go. Now!" Thor was unfazed and tried to push me back. I fought him as best I could until Clint and Caps to a hold of both of my arms to hold me back. "Stop it guys!" Tasha stood in front of me to study my eyes.

"He doesn't have the blue glow like Clint did when Loki took control over him...I think Tony is really Tony..." Bruce stood and walked over to us.

"Everyone needs to chill!" We went still, watching as the tips of his forehead had a faint shade of green before it faded away. Bruce took a few deep breaths and turned to Thor. "Please put her down, you're scaring her." Thor thought about it and reluctantly placed Riley back on the ground. She stood still and looked over to Bruce, giving him a smile and ran at me. Pulling away fro Caps and Clint I grabbed her and held her close, whispering some soft words to hopefully calm her nerves.

Fury stepped up and crossed his arms. "She has to come with us, even if it means bringing you along with us, Stark." I knew what the unspoken words really meant. Fury wanted Riley to go willingly and the only she would was with me. I nodded my head and looked down at her. Riley's eyes were casted downward, making me feel extremely guilty.

* * *

We rode in silence on the helicopter on our way to the base. Riley sat in her seat with her knees to her chin, her arms around her legs. She was terrified about going there and I was trying to figure out why. She shouldn't even know that much about S.H.E.I.L.D. and yet she seems to know enough to get scared enough to turn her hair white. I tried to comfort her by rubbing her knees but she shrunk away from me and curled even more into a ball. I felt like she had lost herself in her own mind, trying to block anyone out so she would be safe. My eyes tore away from her to meet Fury's. We stared each other down for the rest of the way. When we landed everyone had gotten out and waited for Riley and me. I went to shake her but she pulled away again. With a deep sigh, I stepped past her comfort zone and just grabbed her hips and pulled her out of the helicopter.

I tried to carry her like I always do. She didn't like it. Riley forced herself from my arms and stood a good distance from everyone. Fury faced everyone and his only eyes landed on her. "Don't try anything. This carrier is too high for you to jump off and if you try to run or hide we will find you and lock you away!" She didn't move to look or answer anybody. "Do I make myself clear?!" She still didn't move.

A painful moment later and we were all walking into the carrier to wherever Fury wanted to go. Caps stood closer to Fury with Thor, who kept looking back at Riley for some reason. Tasha and Clint walked behind me and Bruce strolled next to Riley. Her arms were tightly wrapped around herself and her pace was slow. I wanted to reach out for her even though she would push me away. I needed to protect her, I promised I would. And look where we are now. No wonder she hates me, I would hate me too. It has only been our third, almost fourth, day together and she is now everyone's top suspect.

Before I had time to register where we were heading to I had ran into Thor's back. I mumbled a apology and rubbed my nose. He didn't seem to notice me and stared at the leftover pieces of the alien attack. We were in a large room that had broken pieces of the aircrafts and weapons in container and chains. Everything seemed fairly secure but I confused as to why we were here. "Hey Cyclops! Why are we here?!" Fury was probably not amused by my nickname but I didn't care at the moment.

He turned and opened one of the cases, pulling out a broken weapon of the Chitauri. "Riley, do you know what this is?" She lifted her head to look at the weapon. With a slight termer she shook her head. "No? I will tell you then. This was one of the hundred of its' kind that ended thousands of lives only a few months ago." Riley's eyes were as wide and saucer while fury tried to play the guilt card. "If you knew anything about these weapons, or the creatures that used them on us then that means you are partly responsible for the single biggest massacre in history." Tears rolled down Riley's cheek and she tried to contain herself.

I stepped forward and threw a protective arm around her. "That's enough!-" Fury still continued and walked over to us.

"You are responsible for thousands of innocent lives that should've been spared on that fateful day! You knew about Loki and his plans! You knew what he was bringing to earth and you still let it happen! YOU are a murder!" I grabbed the front of Fury's coat. Tasha and Clint jumped into action and grabbed me. Caps said something to Thor and Bruce knelt next to Riley.

I have enough of this. "You will leave her alone right now! She had nothing to do with this at all!" Fury snapped at me next but I could handle it.

"Don't you think it is a little odd that a woman, who just happens to know Loki, has appeared in your life when Loki escaped? I don't believe in coincidences, Stark." Clint was able to pulled my grip off of him. "This woman is working with him and I can't risk any more lives." Fury turned to the guards by the door. "Take her away. We shall do some tests later." I growled and fought to get out of their hold on me.

My eyes went over to Riley. She stood up fully and looked at the men who were going to take her away. Just as they got into arms length she jumped back and ran to the far side of the room to jump on the tallest piece of alien equipment we had. And it was about twenty feet tall. Her back was to us and we all froze on the spot, awaiting for her to attack. Riley turned her head and her eyes began to give a slight silver glow. A deep feeling of fear settled in the pit of my stomach. I shook off Clint and Tasha and walk closer to her. "Riley...calm down."

Her eyes narrowed on me. The sliver glow of her eyes began to swirl around her lower body. A faint sense of magic came off of her. We were all at a loss for words...well all except one, a man we were not expecting.

"Calm yourself my dear..." My head napped to the tall, lengthy figure who had nearly killed us all.

Loki. He was wearing a dark-green button shirt with a black leather jacket. Dark, baggy jeans and steel toed boots. I dare say that he actually looked good in that. His hair was slightly trimmed and came down to just his shoulders and I could tell that he was getting some sun due to the slight color in his once pale skin. He looked all around healthy, the bastard.

Riley froze and the silver light disappeared. The guards instantly held up their weapons at him, waiting for him to attack. Loki sighed and strolled past them like the cocky bastard he is. Thor called out to him but Loki ignored him, he ignored all of us. His undivided attention was sorely on Riley. My eyes stayed on the both of them, trying to figure out what to do. Fury walked right in front of Loki and sneered at him. "How the hell did you get here without your magic?!"

Loki scoffed and moved around him. "Don't flatter yourselves, I have my ways. Even without my magic." Loki continued to make his way to the piece of Chitauri metal that Riley stood on. His arms outstretched for her. "Come down before you hurt yourself or the...others." We all watched carefully to their reactions. Riley seemed shocked to see him and Loki looked...happy to see her. They had known each other for a long time.

Riley crossed her arms defiantly and turned her head away from him slightly. "You didn't keep your promise." Her voice filled the silence, sending cold shivers down my spine. Loki wasn't affected by her angelic voice and stretched out his arms even further up to her.

"I know...I wanted to protect you but...I have failed you my princess. Please come down, I have missed you." Rage and jealousy boiled in my veins. I was not going to stand aside and let this pass me by so I strolled up to Loki.

"I don't know what is going on between you two but-" My body slammed against a invisible force and I fell back on my ass. "What the fuck?!" I shook my head and raised my eyebrows. Loki was just as shocked as I was and began chuckling before turning back to Riley.

His arms hand lowered slightly. "You have kept up in your training my princess. I'm impressed." My eyes went straight to her and she gave me a apologetic expression. She turned back to Loki, staring him down. Loki sighed and dropped his hands completely. "I know that I haven't been there for you, I regret it terribly. But, as your Master, I command you to get down from there and control yourself." His voice held no anger but little authority, Loki didn't want to upset her any further.

Riley kept her arms crossed and glared at him. "You-...Master, you have left me behind. Left me to suffer alone, to fight alone, to survive alone in complete silence." The light began to grow again. "And then I hear about you attacking my planet! Did you really think I would not find out about that?!" I got up and tested the air around me, searching for another wall. When I was sure that I would be safe I walked forward and past Loki.

"Riley, I promised you I would protect you." I sighed deeply and locked eyes with her. "Come down here, with me." I could barely tell that her eyes had soften up. She loosened her stance and sat down crossed legged. "Riley-"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry but...please stay out of this...Tony." My heart broke, shattered, and caught on fire. The first time I had heard her say my name and it was with regret and depression. My eyes casted downward, I was unsure what to do. Should I walk away? Should I stay? Should I fight? My hands curled into firm fists and I looked back up to her.

"No." She was taken back. "If you're not coming down then I'm coming up!" I jumped over the chain rope and gripped the cold metal chunk, pushing my way up to climb.

Riley stared down at me and I looked up at her as I continued my way, reaching out for her. I was getting close when I felt a hand on my wrist. Brown eyes met darker brown eyes and I suddenly had a flashback to that Disney movie, "The Lion King". I felt like I was about to be thrown off but was pulled up further until I sat next to her. My breaths of air was fast but not exhausting. I turned my head to look at her. Riley was slight amused and shook her head. "You are a idiot, Tony."

I found myself smiling like a jackass and pulled her into my arms. "I know. You really should start talking more, you have a beautiful voice." She giggled in my shoulder. "Okay...now we have to get down." She pulled away and looked down at Loki who was looking like he was thinking of one-hundred and one ways to kill me right now. Good.

"Master...can I...you know...umm." Loki tore his attention from me to her and his whole personality did a 180 change. His thin lips smiled at her and nodded his head. I wasn't sure what she was asking of him at the moment and tried to get a answer from her. She turned to me and took a deep breath of air. "Relax and don't move." I was agreed and the air around us shifted until we were suddenly in front of Loki. I still had Riley in my arms and refused to let her go, giving Loki the best "Fuck you" look I could give.

Fury and the rest had walked up to us, along with his goonies. Their weapons were still raised at Loki and I wished that one of them were a trigger-happy dork right now. Thor extended his arms for Loki. "Brother, please spare the young woman and come back."

Loki rubbed the crook of his nose and shook his head. "I have not come here to fight. I only wish to have my princess." My hands tightened around Riley. Thor stepped closer and stood between Riley and I and Loki.

"Brother, leave this woman alone. She is innocent." I heard Riley scoffed and gently pulled herself from my arms. I was missing her warm frame instantly but I let her go anyway. Riley stood up fully and looked at Thor straight in his eyes.

Loki chuckled and offered his hand to her. "She is not who you think, Thor. I have been with her for many Migrad years now." Riley nodded her head and placed her hand in his. Loki took his chance and pulled her against him without a second thought. We all jumped and were about to pounce them. "I have missed you dearly my princess." Riley embraced him before pulling away and out of his arms.

"Master...you didn't keep your promise." Her voice was emotionless. "What has happened to you?" Loki's eyes had hooded and his head hung slightly. He looked ashamed, something I thought I would never see. "...Something did happen to you. Master?" He closed his eyes and fixed himself.

"It is nothing for you to concern yourself my princess." Loki pulled away from her to look at Fury. "There is a good reason why I am here though, may we speak somewhere else?" Fury growled but reluctantly nodded his head and we were once again leaving to wherever he was taking us. I walked next to Riley and she smiled at me before reaching up and kissing my cheek. Oh yeah, Tony:1 Loki:0.

* * *

We all sat around a large table in a room that would probably be best described as a meeting room. Clint and Tasha sat together, of course, Caps sat at the front of the table with Bruce sitting opposite of him. Thor sat near the end, looking a little depressed. I sat next to him with Riley in my lap. Fury was standing with Loki next to him, his arms crossed and his patience slowly thinning out. "Out with it Loki."

Loki nodded his head and faced us. "As you know, I had tried to use the Chitauri army to take over your realm. I, fortunately, had failed them."

Fury raised his hand to interrupt Loki. "Fortunately? You mean you wanted us to stop you?" Loki remained silent before swallowing a hard lump in his throat. That alone made me nervous.

"Yes...You may not believe me, and I don't blame you for not trusting me one bit." His head motioned to the guards that still had their guns pointed at Loki. "But I speak the truth when I say that I was not...fully responsible for that attack."

Caps stood up and yelled at Loki. "Bullshit! You had threatened all of us and KILLED Phil!" Riley grew tense and tried to get up but I held her down, whispering some calming words in her ear.

Loki sighed and waited for Caps to calm down as well before he continued. "As I said, I don't blame you for not trusting me and my words. You see, when I had fallen off of the Bifrost a while back I was taken by the Chitauri. They had demanded for me to speak and tell them the secrets of Asgrad and our weaknesses. I refused to say anything and after some time..." I could faintly see the sweat that was forming in his brows. Loki was extremely worried about something.

"Master..." Riley spoken up, catching his attention instantly. "The Chitauri...they are shape shifters. Did they-" Loki shook his head, knowing what she was going to ask.

"No, they did not take shape of me during that time. They had tried and even attempted to create clones but they had failed to do so. For during those unknown hours I was tortured and became extremely weak in both body...and mind." Riley got up from my lap and placed her right hand over the center of her chest.

"They had taken control over you." Loki nodded and motioned his head over to Clint.

"Yes...I had done the same to Hawkeye here. I am sorry about that." Clint didn't say anything but crossed his arms. "I know what it's like, being aware of all of your actions but...having no control of yourself. It breaks our pride and make us lose our minds. Luckily for you, you weren't under control for too long. I was under it for at least a year." Loki tried to contain a shiver. "I have seen and done things that I would never curse upon my greatest enemy."

Fury waved off the guards and they lowered their guns but didn't move from the spot. "Yes, that sucks for you and all but what has this got to do with our current situation?"

Riley seemed to be able to understand what Loki was trying to say before any of us could. She scratched the tip of her nose and looked off into the distance. "They are wanting revenge,... that much is obvious. But how, when, and with what is the question." She looked up at Loki, sharing the same expression. I stood up and stretched my muscles.

"Well I say that we leave it off here. I still have a bit of jet-lag in me and a trip in a helicopter isn't helping either. I want to take a nap." Bruce nodded his head and stood up too, Clint and Tasha following close. Fury thought about it and turned his attention to us.

"I think we had enough excitement for one day. We will pick up the rest tomorrow." He turned to Loki and Loki lowered his head, defeated since he knew what was coming. "Since I cannot fully trust you, or Riley, I will have you both put under surveillance in one of our cells."

I raised my hand and wrapped my arm around Riley's waist. "I volunteer to watch over Riley." Fury rolled his eye and Loki growled, letting all of us hear it loud and clear. Riley sighed with a chuckle before she leaned up to kiss my cheek, making me grin like a idiot.

"I think that I should stay close to Master. There are some things I need to talk about with him." She turned to Fury. "I understand that we will be watched and that is fine, nothing is a secret between us but I cannot wait any longer. And I most likely not get any sleep until I get some answers anyway." Riley faced Caps and the other. "If I may...I am really sorry. If I had know that they would attack us I would've put a stop to it a long time ago." She felt very guilty and I blame Fury for it. I nodded my head and placed my hand against her cheek.

"I will see you tomorrow." I leaned down and kissed her on the lips, earning two shocked gasps and someone had clapped a few times but I couldn't tell who. When I pulled away I saw her eyes shined and her cheeks flushed, making my day entirely. My head tilted up to see that Loki had his back to us. We pulled away and watched as the guards escorted Riley and Loki out of the room to their cell. My tongue ran over my lips, savoring her sweet taste. Tony:2 Loki:0, looks like I'm winning Reindeer Games.

* * *

**I know, I know. I had to leave it like that because it was getting too long anyway. The next chapter will have some back story between Riley and Loki so be prepared. It will probably be long too but I like my stories like that. I hope you enjoy and I will get started on the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Holy crap that is a fast update! I wasn't expecting it to come this fast so don't be expecting them to continue like this. When the mood hits me I will write like there is no tomorrow. Anyway, like I said before their is a little back story and I don't care much for writing them. Even though they are needed I will not be doing that often. Enjoy, this will be filled with a lot of them feels, be prepared.**

* * *

I wasn't sure what to believe anymore. The man..., the god I thought I knew had attacked New York. Had killed thousands of lives and has left me empty and alone for years. Loki, the God of Mischief, my mentor and every other name he has obtained. It was now thrown out the window. Tony had tried to calm me down but even Iron Man couldn't stop the torturous memories that flooded back before my eyes. I wanted to tell Tony what was wrong but would he believe me? Would he understand why I felt this way? Would he even care is the biggest question.

Tony promised me that he would protect me, that he would keep S.H.E.I.L.D. from taking me away. He broke that promise even if he came along or not. My future was bounded to eternal pain and it had now just begun. I guess I should be thankful that they didn't cuff me. I can't stand being restricted. It was all because of those doctors when I was a little girl. The whole city had sent everyone they could think of to get rid of me. I didn't mean to hurt that little boy, I never had a single thought of killing at all, it just happened. I was barely a child when the accident happened, and I still hate myself to this day for it.

The vibrations of the helicopter put my mind at rest but my body remained on edge, expecting a attack when I would least expect it. My eyes drifted closed, Tony being the last person I saw before I had my dreams catch up to me.

* * *

_A young girl with a amazing talent for drawing had minded her own business on that fateful day. The teachers had challenged her to draw her future, curious to what the young girl's imagination would take her. They even had been so generous as to let her use that whole day to draw. She was ecstatic and instantly began to draw with the colorful sticks of chalk she had been granted. She first started using the yellow chalk, drawing a big tower of gold that reached up for the sky and beyond the stars. The young girl then picked up the green and blue chalk, creating a bright forest and a clear sky. Her picture stretched for about a few feet long, taking up a lot of the sidewalk._

_She then began to draw herself, wearing a silver princess dress standing next to her prince charming. The teachers believed her picture to be nothing more than a average girls' fantasy. She believed it to be her actual future as she poured her soul into her art. After a hour of drawing the young girl had been highly impressed with her work, taking in great pride. She decided to create beautiful creatures next and went to pick up another stick of chalk when a boy of her age had ran up to her. _

_She thought nothing of him at the time and chose to ignore the boy and went back to work, starting to draw a black wolf. She started with the wolf's head when her beautiful picture began to dissolve in front of her, her prince charming fading away. The young girl was shocked and upset, her future vanished. She looked up and saw the same boy pouring his water over her chalk drawings, destroying a hour of drawing in merely seconds. She hated the boy and wanted to scream, anger shifting inside her small body. She imagined herself pushing the boy away from her drawings, trying to protect her prince charming. When she opened her eyes she saw the boy lying against the basketball pole, unmoving and not breathing. The kids around her screamed and begged for their mothers and fathers but it all went unheard to the young girl's ears._

_A teacher ran up to her and grabbed the girl, shaking her and demanding a answer to what happened. The girl didn't know but she was scared, that much she did know. Fear coursed through her heart when the police took her away and locked her in a cold and dark room. She didn't know how long she was left there but when someone did open the door she had wished that she was left there. Tall and ugly men in white coats grabbed her roughly, wrapping a thick jacket around her that kept her from moving her arms and hips. The young girl was taken away again and was chained in a doctor's room. Metal trays with strange tool lined up against the bed that she was locked to._

_There was six men that loomed over her, casting dark shadows over her body. It was almost a disconcerting comfort; the shadows kept her from seeing but she deeply feared what she couldn't see. The doctors had injected strange liquid in her arms many times and she felt different every time they did so. She would feel cold, hot, tired, angry, and confused. They had watched carefully each time they did so, wanting to understand what made her so different from the other children. But the poor little girl just wanted to be left alone._

_Every second of every minute in each hour, that young girl had prayed to any god to save her, if it may be to end her life then so be it. She was scared and she knew that they would not let her go. It may have been days or even weeks, she was unsure how long she had been there but it was too long. Still, she prayed and prayed until one day she had heard a voice whisper so sweetly to her. "You hold great potential to have caught my interest, Child." A deep, smooth voice was over heard by her ears only. She wanted to say something but with a gag that the men had secured over her lips it was impossible to make a single noise but a grunt._

_The voice was a bit louder the next time, almost sounding closer, "You wish to be freed? To what cost will you be giving in return?" The young girl's eyes watered. She was willing to give anything for her nightmare to end. The voice seemed to understand and made himself present next to the metal bed that she laid on. Tall and handsome, he looked like her prince charming she had imagined. His black hair shined like the night sky. His outfit screamed royalty with its green and gold leather. His green eyes glowed like deep emeralds as he gazed over her. His thin, pink lips parted as he began to speak. "Will you serve me? Become my prodigy? And become completely submissive to me?" Most of his words had confused her but she was willing to do anything so she nodded her head. His thin lips made a smile of satisfaction before turning away._

_"Close your eyes Child. I do not wish for you to witness this, you are to young and innocent." She complied and shut her eyes. The young girl didn't know what had happened but with the memorizing screams of terror from the doctors, she had a good idea. Thankfully for her the screams didn't last long but she still didn't dare open her eyes until he had told her it would be safe. The chains of leather and metal loosened around her body, creating a wave of relief. Cold, but soothing, finger tips danced over her cheeks and pulled the gag off of her. She took a deep breath of air and still didn't open her eyes. She listened as a deep chuckled filled the silence._

_"You are easily tamed it seems. You may open your eyes now, Child." The young girl blinked a few times and rubbed her dry eyes. Her hands pushed her up until she sat comfortably on the bed. She felt a large hand on top of her head, catching her attention. The young girl looked over to her savior and swallowed a dry lump in her small throat._

_"Who...who are...you?" Her voice was raspy and crackled. Her muffled screams had done some damage to her voice. The young girl's savior stood fully and extended his hand for her._

_"I am Loki, the God of Mischief and the future king of Asgrad." His voice held great authority but he didn't scare her. He had saved her and she would be forever grateful for him. She placed her smaller hand in his, smiling brightly at him before he had taken her away._

* * *

Loki had saved me that day. He was there for me when I had began to grow until I had reached fifteen. My eyes opened and looked around my surroundings, not realizing that we were inside a strange place and out of the helicopter. We entered a large room with pieces of alien technology that I instantly recognized from Loki's teachings. I felt like I had walked into a museum. The African American named Fury, walked and told me our purpose for being here. He was blaming me for the deaths of the innocent the day that the alien army attacked New York. He yelled at me and told me that I was at fault for not warning anybody of the attack, calling me a killer.

It broke my soul because it felt true to me. I had known about the Chitauri species but I had never thought that they would attack Earth. I was crushed and my uncontrollable power ran through me like a hot knife. I was about to lose control and start to fight back so I ran and put a good distance between me and the others. I was scared that I could hurt them, that I would hurt Tony. Even after years of training I still didn't have full control, and I may never will.

A familiar voice rang in my ears, remembering the same feeling I had when the first time I had heard that voice. It always sent shivers through my skin, causing my hair to stand on end. Loki had returned, but at a bad time. I was frustrated with him on many different levels. Though, somehow I was able to calm myself when Tony came. His cocky behavior had entertained me and before I knew it my spirits were lifted and we left. Loki wanted to talk and I wanted to talk as well, needing answers from him.

* * *

The guards had placed Loki and I in a small cell that had no windows or bars. It was one, white room with one bed and a toilet with a sink by the far wall. I looked up and saw that there was a camera at each corner of the room. My head turned to Loki who had made himself comfortable on the one bed. My arms crossed over my chest, waiting for him to say something. Loki kept his eyes on me, he has always done so and will always in the future. I had accepted that but I needed more than his judging eyes. My feet moved to stand in front of him. He sighed and rubbed his forehead before he finally began to speak. "Remember the day when I had first met you? I had said that you were easily tamed; I was very wrong, wasn't I?"

I didn't understand why but that one statement left me to smirk. "Master-" He lifted his hand and stood from his seat on the bed. His height was overpowering. Loki was tall but even as I had grown up over the years he was still at least six inches taller than me. I barely reached his chin.

"I want you to know, my princess, that I have watched over you during those years I was absent. You have impressed me with your strength in mind and body." I watched his small Adam's Apple bounce when he swallowed. "I think that you have gained the right to call me by my name now."

My finger nails dug into my skin on my arms. "I will call you whatever I feel best fits you, you Bastard!"

Loki kept my eye contact and seemed slightly taken back. "Well...it is a honor to say my name after all of these years of being my prodigy. I figured you would be thrilled." His sarcastic attitude only added to the flames in my heart.

"What about the years when you weren't there?! What about the time when you would disappear for weeks on end without ever telling me?!" I threw my hands in the air, wanting to hit him so badly. "There are so many new titles I would be _honored_ to bestow upon you right now!"

We remained silent and still after that, letting all of our emotions fade away. Loki's thin lips made a smile and he leaned closer to me. Our noses touched but I didn't back away, continuing our stare war. After a minute went by we both began chuckling together. It felt great so we laughed harder. His arms held me close to him and I pulled him closer to me, missing our moments like this and only wished that it was private. Loki eventually put me down and cupped my face in his cold hand. I nuzzled closer to his palm, wanting his cool skin to relieve my hot and tired muscles. "My princess, do you remember why I had left in the first place?"

I closed my eyes and sighed in his hand. I was able to feel the slightest shiver but said nothing of it. "I do...you were planning on taking the throne and becoming the king or your realm. But..." I took his hand off and casted my eyes downward. "When you didn't return I figured that you had succeeded and found yourself a beautiful queen to be by your side."

* * *

_Young Riley of age fifteen ran through the forest that would lead to Loki secret cottage. It was where they would spend their days learning magic and other worldly creatures. Her feet patted against the soft ground, making only the smallest sounds while she continued her jog. It was only about a half mile so it never took her very long. Riley was very excited for today, she had accomplished her levitation ability after training for almost a year and she had finally found a way to control it. She would meet Loki, her Master, after sundown and tell him the good news._

_The sight of the cottage came into view and her smile only grew wider. Her Master was everything to her and he would surely be impressed with her accomplishment. He always complemented on her natural ability to use magic but when it came to using her actual abilities it would often take her months. But now she knew she had finally taken a first step to earning Loki's love._

_Riley slowed her pace and quietly walked up to the door. Loki had always snap at her for not being stealthy enough when it came to sparring or sneaking around. But she had a good control over that now and would try her best to catch him off guard. Yet, she never succeeded. Her fingers gently pressed against the wooden door and froze. Something was wrong. She feared that someone may have found them and hurt him. That was a normal fear that she endured everyday, someone finding her god and taking him away from her._

_Riley shook her head and pushed the door open, slightly shocked at the sight. The normal cottage would have every inch of the place covered in books of every language of every realm, filled with stories and histories to much of her delight. But all there was left was a single table that rested near the fire place, silver flames danced in the golden light of the room. There, sitting at the table with his head in his hands was her Master, Loki. She quietly moved inside and closed the door behind herself, catching his attention. His head snapped up and the beautiful, green eyes looked straight into her soul. "My princess...you are early."_

_She shook her head and showed Loki her wristwatch. "No, Master, I'm on time. I have great news!" Riley bounced over to him with her lips stretched across her face, showing how happy she was. Loki chuckled and relaxed._

_"Oh? What is it my princess?" Riley rolled her eyes at his normal pet name he had given her years ago. She took a deep breath in and stayed perfectly still, focusing all of her attention on her Master, not like it was that hard for her anyway. Soon she felt the warm power run down her veins of her arms until they reached her finger tips. With a quick lick of her lips Loki's seat began to float, taking him into the air. The pressure of his weight weighed heavily in her lungs but she held him there for a few seconds before she slowly placed him back on the ground._

_Riley sucked in a sharp breath of air and gave Loki a wide grin. "I have finally learned to use levitation! What do you think?!" Loki's eyes had widen at how much strength she had to lift him off the ground so easily and gracefully. He was never so proud of her as he was now. Loki stood up and walked up to her and kissed the tip of her nose, making a lovely shade of rose grow on her cheeks._

_"You are magnificent my princess. Never forget that." Loki leaned in and wanted to kiss her lips but forced himself to settle for her cheek instead. He was rewarded with her flushed face. "Though today is not all as well my princess. I have news that you need to listen to carefully." Riley became serious and nodded her head, tuning in to whatever he needed to say. "As you have known I am to be competing to take the throne of my realm."_

_Riley nodded her head. "Yes, Asgrad."_

_Loki's lips quirked up at her normal behavior of interruption. "Well, the time will becoming soon..." Riley's lack of smile instantly made him feel guilty. "Which means that I have to be leaving you for a while." Loki turned away and placed three book on the table. "These are the last of the book that you will be needing to study. They are mostly stories but I think you will enjoy them."_

_She stepped back and tried to hide the depression in her eyes. "So this must really be big if you are actually telling me that you are leaving me." Riley tried to hide her hurt but nobody could lie to the god of lies himself. Loki nodded his head and opened his arms allowing Riley to run into his arms with tears in her eyes. He didn't want to leave her and he knew that he would be gone for a long time but he had to do this. He needed to have his complete focuse on that goal. "Good luck, Master! May you take the throne and become the king you deserve!" Her kind words had always found a way to melt his heart. They pulled away and Riley wiped away her tears. "But you must promise me something."_

_Loki chuckled and helped her brush away her tears. "You are making demands out of me? Fine, I shall humor you for now."_

_Riley licked her lips again and calmed her breathing. "You must promise me that you will return once it is over so I can hear the news, no matter if you win or not." Loki nodded and was about to speak but she cut him off. "And! And...come to visit at least once a year. I want to hear about everything." Loki's breath was caught in his throat. He couldn't promise that, if he was leaving now then it meant for good until it was over. His green eyes looked over her, her small and young heart raced frantically in her chest. He could hear it._

_"My princess...I promise." Loki hated himself for daring to lie to his own future queen, something he promised he would never do. Riley's faced lit up and she threw herself into his arms. Before she pulled away she decided to be brave and test her boundaries. Riley reached up and cupped his face in both of her hands, pulling him down to kiss her. Their lips meeting briefly and savoring. _

_Loki and Riley had spent the rest of their night together in each other's arms, memorizing every detail of the other._

* * *

That day was one of my bests and worsts. Tears wanted to run down my cheek but I held them back, not wanting to indulge them. "I know I have said this...but you didn't keep your promise." Loki sighed through his nose, defeated knowing that I would not let it go so easily. His hands took mine and led me to the bed. He sat down and placed me in his lap, suddenly becoming very intimate.

"I know...I hated myself for lying to you but I didn't want to hurt you at the time. I would do anything to visit and continue to watch you grow before my eyes but I couldn't." Loki's voice was low just barely louder than a whisper. I could tell by the tone in his voice, he was just as disappointed as I was.

Loki's head rested against my breasts, my arms rested around the back of his neck and head. "Mas-...Loki," He shivered again. "I wasn't as disappointed as I was scared for you. I was worried that something bad had happened to you. How was I suppose to know if you were safe or even alive and after almost ten years later I had to give you up." Now my voice was filled with so much of my pathetic emotions it was making me sick.

Loki's arms held me tighter. "I'm sorry I left you in the dark like that my princess." I sighed and pulled away so I could lift his face to look at me.

"Damnit Loki, we are over the pet names, right? Call me who I am." He chuckled and smirked.

"You are right. I should call you by your true title." I raised a eyebrow, not trusting his silver tongue. "I can only say this, forgive me. I am only but a fool, my Queen." I rolled my eyes and groaned, sneaky bastard. "I guess I shall leave you to rest then..." My head snapped back to look at him.

To be truthful, I wanted to stay by him but he was right. I needed to rest. I forced myself to leave his embrace and stand up. He followed and caressed my cheek with the back of his knuckles. "Sleep well...Loki. I will see you as soon as I can. We still have more we need to discuss." Loki smirked.

I was about to pull away when he quickly swooped down and kissed my lips, instant desire that was suppose to be long forgotten had made itself known once again. The kiss was swift but lustful, the complete essence of Loki himself. "Goodnight, my Queen." I found myself smiling and nodded my head before leaving the room a second later. There were two guards that motioned me to follow. They lead me through long hallways with twists and turns that I couldn't remember for the life of me until we had stopped in front of a door. We stayed still, I didn't know what to do so I nervously looked at the guard that were barely taller than me. The one to my right sighed and knocked on the door. It opened to a very tired Tony, though he instantly perked up when he saw me.

"Done already?" He faced the guards. "Thanks boys, now beat it." His strong hand had pulled me from the hallway and before I could blink I was in a queen size bed, ironically, with Tony resting behind me. He draped his arm over my waist and I felt his nose hide in the nape of my neck. "Get some rest, Riley." He yawned and I smirked, some people will never change. My lips opened to release a quiet yawn and my eyes fluttered closed, dreams overtaking me instantly for a bumpy ride for the night.

* * *

**I realized that I kinda made Loki seem like a pedophile in this chapter and I am almost sorry about that. I think it's cute like that and please don't judge me for it. The next chapter will go back to Tony. I'm not quite sure how it is going to be but their will be war plans. Yay -_-...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry about the late update, I don't have a excuse for it except I have been caught up in another FanFiction that is long as hell.**

* * *

Waking up to a warm body has to be the top of life's best pleasures. Except I didn't have a chance to experience that pleasure this time since Riley was already up. My arm had reached over the bed sheets to try and find her but came up short. I opened one eye and scanned the room. The sun was barely shinning through the window, giving the room a small, orange glow. I rubbed my eyes and rolled over onto my back. My body felt much better now that I had a chance to relax and catch up on my much needed rest. I swung my legs over the bed and shivered when my feet touched the cold floor. The cold is not my friend in the morning, or evening.

"Uhh..." I ran my fingers through my hair and was finally able to hear the shower running five feet away. "Damn...I am getting old." My hands pushed me up from the bed and stumbled my way over to the bathroom. As I reached the door I was able to hear music playing. Classic 80's 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' was singing with the shower, making the song even more hotter. I smirked and lifted my hand and carefully knocked on the door. A few seconds went by and the music was turned down a few notches.

"Yes?" I smirked to myself when she responded. Riley sounded a little nervous and it was damn cute.

"Hey, it's me. I need to take a piss." Another few seconds went by before she answered and let me in. The bathroom was steamy and hot, not helping me in any way whatsoever. It was fairly small but enough for two people. I walked up to the toilet and unzipped my fly, relieving myself. My eyes glanced over to the shower curtain and moved over to the sink next to me. My phone way resting on the counter top, the source where the music came from. I should be at least a little upset that she took it without asking me but it didn't faze me any. "JARVIS, continue playing that song."

"_Of course, Sir._" The music continued and I found myself singing along with it.

"Listen, red light, yellow light, green light, go. Crazy little woman in a one man show.~" The curtain pulled back slightly exposing Riley's face and her wet hair.

"I didn't know you could sing." Her expression told me she was shocked. I, personally, don't think that I was a good singer but if she likes it then I would put on a concert for her if she wanted. Riley glanced at the phone and smiled. "JARVIS? could you replay that song from the beginning?" JARVIS agreed and the song restarted.

"You want me to sing?" She nodded before returning to her shower. I shrugged and stood in front of the sink to wash my hands while singing. "Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on. Livin' like a lover with a radar phone. Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp. Demolition woman, can I be your man?" I dried my hands and leaned against the opposite wall, looking at the curtain again. "Razzle 'n' a dazzle 'n' a flash a little light. Television lover, baby, go all night. Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet. Little miss innocent sugar me, yeah. Come on! Take the bottle, shake it up. Break the bubble, break it up." I saw Riley sneak a peek at me behind the curtain again and I smiled at her. "Pour some sugar on me, oh in the name of love! Pour some sugar on me, c'mon fire me up. Pour some sugar on me, I can't get enough." I pushed myself off the wall and struck a pose like a male model. "I'm hot, sticky sweet from my head to my feet. Yeah!"

Riley laughed and disappeared to turn off the shower. "I wish I had that on recording." I chuckled and reached over to grabbed the white towel and hand it over to the curtain, sticking only my arm through it.

"And I'm glad you didn't." She took it and I stepped back, allowing her to open the curtain to me. Riley's short hair clung to the sides of her face. Water drops trickled down her smooth arms. The white towel was wrapped tightly around her body from her collar bone to her knees, leaving my imagination to run wild at the moment. My lips smirked before I gave a approving whistle. "Can I get a peek?" Riley scoffed and opened the door, pointing back to the room. My tongue moistened my lips before I gave her my best puppy dog eyes. "I promise I will be good. Can I pretty please stay?"

Riley lowered her arm and stepped up at me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I was seriously liking where this was going until she twirled me around and forced me out the door. "No. Bad boy."

I turned around as the door closed and crossed my arms. "But I like being a bad boy." I waited a few more seconds for her to hopefully change her mind. Wishful thinking on my part. I sighed and walked over to the open closet and pulled out one of my button down shirts. I took off my shirt and slipped on the black button shirt and started digging for some pants. I pulled out a pair of old, faded jeans that had some oil stains and put them on. Within seconds I had finished getting clothes on and turned back to the bathroom. I knocked twice, waiting for a response. "Riley?"

My fingers drummed on my thighs as I waited. "Yeah?..." Her voice was a little weak, which had me worried.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" I stepped back, getting ready to kick the door open when I heard the doorknob turn. Riley stepped out wearing a completely different set of clothes. A Dark green, leather trench coat was on top of a deep amethyst corset shirt. A heavy belt buckle with a image of a snake rested on her black jeans that flared to reveal black biker boots. She looked smoking hot and I found my mouth drying up. "How-...What-...Huh?!" Riley sighed and hung on the side of the doorway.

"It's a long story and I want to wait and get everyone together so I don't have to explain ten billion times." I nodded my head and offered the crook of my arms for her. Riley smiled gratefully at me and accepted it as we headed out the door to find the others.

* * *

Everyone sat around the large table. Clint, Natasha and Caps sat on one side while Thor, Riley and I sat on the other with Fury standing in front of us and Bruce playing with something on his tablet. We all waited for Rock-of-Ages to make his grand appearance. Natasha stared at Riley and leaned over the table. "So now you are willing to talk? That was quite the reunion you and Loki had earlier."

Riley didn't even glance at her but sighed. "I will explain when Loki gets here." She rested comfortably in her seat, her chest rising and falling slowly and deeply. Her eyes turned towards me and her eyebrow rose gracefully. "Something wrong?"

I shook my head. "No, I was making sure you were okay. You are pretty winded." Riley nodded her head and rubbed her temples. She didn't answer me because the door suddenly opened with two goonies and a peeved Loki. "Ooo! Woke up on the wrong side of the cell?"

Loki bit his bottom lip and held up his cuffed wrists to the goonies. They released Loki and took a step back. "Ah, yes. I slept wonderfully, how about you Mr. Stark?" I gave him a thumbs up while saying some pretty nasty things to him inside my head. Riley forced herself up with a wobble, catching Loki's attention. "My Queen? What did you do?"

Riley chuckled and stepped forward with her right foot, moving her arms to the side and bending over. She looked as if she was bowing to a dance partner. "I, unfortunately, have not been practicing all of my skills. So in the end I'm a little rusty." Everyone remained quiet while we watched them interact.

"I can tell, if I could I would help you but for now I'm a little useless." Loki closed his legs and placed his left arm behind his back while his right crossed his chest before he too bowed. "But if it makes you feel better, My Queen, you look ravishing." They both stood up and smiled to each other, enjoying a inside joke I know they have.

Natasha scoffed and crossed her arms. "You have been upgraded from "My Princess" to "My Queen", how do you feel?"

Riley turned towards her and smirked. "Like royalty. As soon as you find yourself a good man that can stand you long enough you will understand." Natasha stayed quiet while Loki laughed.

"Ah, I see now that you have obtained my silvertongue. Well done." Riley giggled and I felt a bit forgotten. I reached up and wrapped my arms around Riley's waist, pulling her into my lap. She squeaked and Loki looked ready to start a fight, which was fine for me. I would love to throw in a few punches to his damn face.

"Alright everyone." Fury took charge, "We may now have a even bigger problem with a unknown entity that wants to destroy our world."

Rock-of-Ages shook his head. "I hate to correct you," Liar. "but he doesn't want to destroy it but more of contort it." What?

Fury turned to face him fully. "Okay then, you explain and take it from the top." Loki nodded and stole a glance at Thor behind me.

"It starts out when I had fallen off the Bifrost. I had been ready to accept death at that point but was refused." He closed his eyes and frowned. "I felt like I had been falling for days, maybe even weeks. I was alone and stuck with myself and my thoughts. Soon my thoughts morphed into memories and soon began to hate everyone all over again. I believe that was when...Him caught me." He reopened his eyes and looked at Thor, his emotions hidden within and his face showing nothing. "I believe you know who I speak of, Thor."

Our heads moved to Thor who sat quietly with his hands clasped together on the table. "Yes, Brother..." Thunderbutt looked nervous, more so than usual. "Allfather believed Him to be locked away..."

Riley spoke up. "That's not true. King Odin knew that there was no way that he could lock Him away. He just wanted everyone to rest with their ignorance at night. And you know better than to believe otherwise." Thor sat straight up and looked like he was going to explode. "Thor, I know you don't want to believe this but your father is not the strongest being in the whole world." She adjusted herself and took a deep breath. "We all answer to a higher power. Normal people are below other like Bruce and Tony. They in return answer to others like Thor and Loki. And they in return are below the great kings of the Nine Realms. And even those kings have to answer to Him. It's a never-ending circle."

I was impressed by her wisdom and tighten my grip around her. She turned to look at me and smile before looking back to Thor. He sighed and nodded his head. "You are right Lady Janssen." Thor closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. "Loki, you have taught her well." Our attention was directed back to Loki.

He shrugged. "She was already smart, I just helped her open her beautiful mind to more knowledge." Loki faced Fury. "Before I go any further I must know. I am being recorded, correct?" Fury nodded. "And I can be ensured that no one else will be able to lean what I am going to say outside of this room?" Fury narrowed his one eye on his and looked over to the guards behind Loki, shooing them out. "Thank you." Rock-of-Ages pulled out a chair, Fury's chair, and made himself comfortable. "Now then, My Queen?" She hummed. "Pop quiz, define "Him" for us all."

Riley nodded and stood up to face everyone. "Him is a reborn being of Death. Born from Eternals Mentor and Sui-San on Saturn's moon. Nobody should speak of his name or else he becomes aware of your presence and is said to bring him more power so people develop referring him to "Him". He has a great obsession with the embodiment of Death herself-" Bruce raised his hand and Riley acknowledge him.

"You are saying that Death is a actual person, a woman to be more precise? How is that possible?" Riley looked over to Loki who smiled and waved his hand for her to continue.

"Yes, you are correct. Death his a woman." For some reason I suddenly became worried but kept my mouth shut. I wasn't liking the idea of Death being a woman. No soiree, not at all. "Mistress Death is a very unforgiving but amazingly wise woman. She is the key balance between life and death, making sure nothing goes out of whack. Him fell in love for Death and had decided to end all life as to prove his love for her."

Clint seemed interested enough to speak up. "But if her job was to keep the balance between life and death wouldn't that mean, "Him" would be screwing up her whole meaning of existence?" Riley smiled.

"I never said that Him was a smart man. In fact, Him is very selfish and childish when it comes to his personal desire to prove his worthiness to Death." Riley shoved her hands in her pockets and continued. "It has said that Him was almost on the brink of destroying everything in the Nine Realms until King Odin and his army stepped in to stop him. They say that the war had lasted six months, nonstop, before Him was finally defeated. No one is completely sure what had happen to Him after King Odin was threw with him but everyone knows that he is still alive, waiting for his chance to get his revenge."

Loki smiled brightly at her. "Well done, you have continued your studies." She blushed and sat down in her own chair.

Fury sighed, getting a little impatient. "Okay, so now we know of his obsession with Death. How is that important to us then and now?"

Rock-of-Ages ignored Fury and made himself comfortable before talking again. "While I was falling for who knows how long I had caught His attention. With his strength, he pulled me out of the eternal abyss and had taken me to another...how should I put it?...A timeless void?"

I decided now was the time to speak what was bugging me from the start. "How do we know you are not bullshiting us right now. I mean a timeless void? Really?" Everyone nodded their heads in agreement except for Riley and Thor who were staring at Loki. "Umm, Riley?"

Thor stood up, gripping the rim of the table. "Brother, a timeless void means that you had no power to protect yourself."

Loki nodded his head. "Yes, that was the only reason I knew that was where I was to be absolutely sure about. Him had taken my weak form and chained me down in a dark place. It seems that even though we were in that timeless void, Him was still able to keep some of his powers. Probably because Odin had told his people they were safe enough to speak his name whenever they please." Riley slightly shuddered so I reached over and took her hand in mine, giving it a squeeze.

Riley relaxed and pulled my hand closer to her. "Loki, what did he do to you?"

He shook his head and avoided all eye contact. "That is something you needn't to worry about My Queen. After some time he was able to break me and use me as a doorway to the other side of the void. He wanted to use me to kill Odin and take control over a realm that way he could start a army. Like Clint, I was aware of what I was doing but had no control over my actions."

My eyes glanced over to Clint. He grimaced, remembering what he did most likely. Bruce stood up and closed his laptop. "Him was the one who created that scepter you had when you took control over Clint, right?" Loki nodded. "I still have that data from when I was studying it. I might be able to create a kinetic force that can neutralize Him." Loki and Thor both stood up.

Riley was a little shocked. "You can do that?" Bruce nodded and looked over at me expectantly.

I automatically stood up but froze when my eyes landed on Riley. I didn't want to leave her yet. "Sorry Green Giant, I will check that out with you later." Bruce gave me a hard stare but shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the room anyway. I made a mental note to make it up to him later.

Fury took Bruce's seat and crossed his leg over his knee. "Alright, so "Him" was wanting to use you to get revenge on Odin by using Earth as a military base?" Loki nodded his head. "So now we need to know when, where, and how Him is going to do this."

Caps cleared his throat and stood up. "I believe this is where you tell us your demands and we tell you that it's not going to happen. So we are going to fight this guy on our own anyway." I smiled at Cap and agreed with him.

"Yeah, Spangles is right." Cap looked unhappy with my nickname. "So tell us what you want before we kick you off and have Point Break send you back home."

Rock-of-Ages sighed and reached over to take Riley's hand. "I only ask for little," Again, liar. "One: I want My Queen to be safe and away from this all out war."

Riley jumped from her seat. "Not happening!" I stood up and tried to calm her down. Riley brushed me off and stared at Loki. "I am going to fight with the Avengers and you can't stop me."

The rest of us began to rise, including Loki. "My Queen, you don't understand. Him wants revenge and I don't want you hurt in the crossfire."

"How do you even know that Him would be coming after me?! I can defend myself!"

"Because he will be going after my heart!" Silence, complete and awkward silence. "My Queen, Him saw my memories. You are the source at getting his revenge for my failure."

Riley shook her head and crossed her arms, breathing heavily. "You don't understand. I can defend myself. Besides, you still need to tell use your other demand."

We all could tell that she wanted to direct the attention away from her. Loki gathered himself while trying his best not to explode, just like Thor. "The next thing I ask is that Odin gives me my magic back for the war."

Thor walked up to stand next to me. He was trying to figure out Loki's hidden intention just like the rest of us. "Brother,...you only desire your magic for the war. Not before or after?"

"Yes, I only want to help and destroy Him. Even if it meant never getting my magic afterwards. My Queen is the only one I wish to protect." He turned to face Fury. "Even if I was in control or not I still caused a great amount of damage for your realm and I am taking responsibility for it. I only wish to have my magic to defend, protect, and kill Him."

We all looked at Fury. Clint and Natasha were not happy and tried to convince Fury not to trust Loki. Riley was getting upset and turned her face at me. "What do you think?" Her voice was a small whisper, pleading that I taker her side in this. She was exhausted and was clearly over with all of our problems already. I tried to comfort her with my smile and opened my arms for her. She stepped in and leaned her head against my chest. "I trust Loki, he won't betray me Tony."

Damn this woman. "Hey! Everyone!" The room went silent and all eyes were on me. "I speak from experience when I say that everyone should take a second chance. I was given a second chance even after practically betraying our country and maybe..." Riley's face tilted up at me, watching as I tried to form the words I thought I would never say. "Loki could be helpful for us. He deserves one more chance."

Caps walked around the table and stood right in front of me. "Your are talking about a man that killed hundreds of innocent people. Killed our friend. Tried to kill Thor, and threw you out your own window. And you want to give him another chance?!"

Riley pulled out from my arms and turned to Loki. "You threw Tony out his window? And tried to kill Thor?"

Loki chuckled and crossed his arms. "I knew very well that they would survive. I was ordered to remove anyone who tried to get into my way, not kill them specifically. If I was actually trying to kill them I would've." We weren't impressed by his statement. "Although I will admit that when I tried to take control over Mr. Stark I was indeed surprised that the scepter did not work."

"If that was suppose to make me feel better then it's not working Reindeer Games." I received a smack in the arm by Riley. "What?"

She shook her head and sat back in her seat. "We are getting off track. Him is coming to get his revenge and here we are, with our thumbs up out asses trying to get under each others skins. Thor, can you talk to your father for us?"

Thor stood straight before kneeling in front of her. "I will do my best to per sway my father for a limited use of Loki's magic." Riley smiled.

"Thank you Thor. I have great faith in you." Point Break began to glow with his broad smile before leaving the room.

Loki chuckled. "I believe that I may actually have been a bit of a bad influence on you My Queen."

"Oh please, a little ego boost won't hurt anyone." Riley cracked her knuckles. "Now we have some plans that have yet to be made."

We agreed and Fury pulled up a hologram computer keyboard. "So we need to start taking down notes of his powers that he still has and everything we can think of that may be his weakness." We turned back to Loki again.

"Him was able to tamper with my mind, like the weapon I used against you. It is dangerous to have, Him will be able to find your worst weaknesses easily and use it against you without hesitation. He is much like that green beast when it comes to strength and stamina."

I scratched the back of my head in thought. "Do you think it is possible to neutralize him with some drugs?" I was thinking out loud but I was surprised when Loki even bothered to answer me.

"Truthfully? I am unsure. If Mr. Banner can be neutralize in his state of beastly then it might be possible." Fury typed that all in , making a personal note to test if drugs can work against the Hulk and then asked for other suggestions. Clint and Natasha asked if there was a specific weapon or magic that can do the job too. Loki thought about it and basically told us that if there was a weapon then it has been locked away long ago. If there was any kind of magic he would've known about it already. We were pretty screwed until someone had a brilliant idea soon.

Caps stopped us and decided that we needed to take a break for some food. I was jumping for joy and demanded to get pizza. "Hell! I will get my suit now and fly off. Riley? Care to join me?" Riley made the point that I couldn't carry all of the pizzas, plus soda and beer, with her. I hate it when women make good excuses like that but I agreed with her and left to get my suit. Leaving her with Loki for this last time.

* * *

I walked in the lab and found Bruce nose deep in his studies. "Hey Bruce, I'm getting pizza. You want anything in particular?"

Bruce took a second before he realized that I was in the room. "Huh? Oh! Umm...could you bring some Buffalo wings too?" This was one of the reasons I like Bruce. I told him it was no problem and got my suit prepared, the metal bending and shaping around my body before the mask flipped over and covered my face. "Have a safe flight Tony."

"Thanks Brucey." And I was gone, flying out the door and to the early night. "JARVIS, make a list: Pizza, beer, soda, and Buffalo wings."

"_Done Sir. Anything else?_" I thought about it and cringed. "Yeah, could you show me the video footage of Riley and everyone else at this moment?" A small screen showed Clint and Natasha standing in front of Riley and Loki while Caps and Fury talked on the other side of the room. "JARVIS, turn up the volume please." It was slightly louder and I was able to hear their conversation. Apparently Natasha was questioning Riley.

"-So tell me why you kept silent until he showed up?" Loki turned his head at Riley.

"When Loki left me and decided to make a sacrifice for him as he always did for me." She kept her head down. "You we said our goodbyes I made a pact that I would remain silent until the next time I saw you. I wanted my first words to be something like 'Welcome back your Highness' or 'My King, you have returned'. I was young then so I was little strange."

Loki looked like he was holding her hand. "My Queen, that was ten years ago...and you kept your word that whole time?"

Riley faced him and shrugged. "I did, until I met Tony. By then I had given up and figured you became a king and forgotten all about me."

"Never. You know this." Clint and Natasha whispered something to themselves but I couldn't hear it. "My Queen, I have a question for you. What is so special about Mr. Stark to make you to break a ten year promise to yourself?" My lips curved into a large smile. Loki was obviously jealous of me for being able to get her to talk to me.

"Well...he was patient, kind, careful. Tony was helping me when I was alone for so long, it's not like I spoke full sentences. Only a few words." She stopped and got up with her arms crossed. "And why does it matter to you anyway? You didn't even know about that until now."

Loki raised his hands in defeat like he did in Germany. "_Sir, you have arrived._" The image disappeared and I sighed, just as I was getting to the good part. "Thank you JARVIS." I opened my helmet and found myself already at the counter with a teenage looking at me with admiration. I smirked at the boy and took my order.

* * *

**I know I originally wanted to make this a Tony x Riley story but now I am having a hard time deciding if I should make Riley fall for Loki instead. I would like your opinion on it to make my final decision. **

**I hope everyone enjoyed Valentines Day (Yuck). I don't care for that holiday but I hope that you had fun at least. See you guys again soon~**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! I had to rewrite this chapter twice because I didn't like it so sorry for the late update. I want to thank BrokenInfinity for their suggestion which has been taken into consideration. *High Five back* You are awesome! Back to the story...from the next chapter and on will get intense. I will warn you if I believe that it may be a little too much, but don't say that I didn't pre-warn you now. Expect it in the next chapter.**

* * *

Loki had been through so much in such a small amount of time, at least according to this realm. Years, Loki has been through suffering because of Him. I want to comfort Loki but I know he will push me away, that's how he has always been. He is strong and there is no doubt about it, but he is hiding something I know it too. First off, he has escaped and somehow ended up here, that is my first warning. Second, Loki is never ever humiliated by anything that happens to him. Not counting the times he was a child and Thor picked on him. But either has changed him or he so doing something behind our backs. I don't want to think that Loki is doing such things but I had known him for too long not to notice all of the hints he is giving that he is hiding something. No matter how small or large it is I still don't appreciate him doing so.

The red-head woman named Natasha and the man named Clint were trying to figure Loki and I out for themselves. I had nothing to hide so I just enjoyed toying with them, Loki was holding back and spoke carefully. My head started to hurt and I began to rub my temples, aggravated that I was being hounded down like this. Although, I guess I should be more grateful that they are not tying me down and experimenting on me. Yet.

I had decided that I should play nice and answer their questions, no matter how much it irritated me. I was growing tired for talking so much. You would be surprised how much work it is to talk this often after almost ten years of absolute silence. I licked my lips and looked down at my hand when Loki took it. "My Queen, that was ten years ago...and you kept your word that whole time?"

Yeah...that sounds stupid thinking back on it now. Back then it seemed like a vow almost, something to prove how much I cared for Loki. I don't regret it, and never will, but would I do it again? Probably not. "I did, until I met Tony. By then I had given up and figured you became a king and forgotten all about me." I remember the look Tony gave me in the bathroom. His curious eyes that twinkled while trying to get me to talk. It was cute and it made me feel warmth for the first time in years. I had decided to tell him my name, gaining a wide smile that glowed brighter than his Arc Reactor.

"My Queen, I have a question for you. What is so special about Mr. Stark to make you to break a ten year promise to yourself?" His hand that wrapped around mine tightened when he asked this.

I frowned. "Well...he was patient, kind, careful. Tony was helping me when I was alone for so long, it's not like I spoke full sentences. Only a few words." I got frustrated with him and stood up, pulling away from his soft touch to cross my arms. "And why does it matter to you anyway? You didn't even know about that until now." Silence filled the room as Loki raised his hands in the air. He obviously didn't want to fight but I wasn't going to let him off easily.

A hand rested on my arm so I turned to see Bruce looking at me with concern. "Calm down Riley." I nodded and gave him a small smile. He returned it and turned to look at Natasha and Clint. "You two have asked enough questions for now. Tony is going to be returning soon and he will not be happy to hear that you have been upsetting his woman." I felt heat rise to my cheeks as I stared shocked at Bruce. He chuckled at my response before forcibly pushing them away.

Something about Bruce made me relax and feel a bit normal. "Don't tell me you're smitten with that Beast too." Loki stood up with his hands clasped behind his back.

I sighed at his ridiculous notion. "No." I looked him dead in the eye. "I feel comfortable with him. He seems to be more of a older brother, just looking out for me. Which is more than I can say about most people that I have known." Loki nodded his head and we stood there in silence. I was not going to break and be the first to speak so I kept my arms crossed and began to look around the room. I could feel Loki's gaze on me as I began to move around the room. This place could be a simple closet to Tony with the little gadgets to keep him entertained for a while.

"Riley?" I stopped and turned to Steve walking over to me. His expression told me he was unsure what to say, as if battling something inside himself.

I let my arms go and tried to give him a assuring smile. "Yes Captain?"

He chuckled and handed me a bottle of water that was cold. I gave him a grateful smile and took it from him and sipped it. "You don't need to call me that. Steve is just fine to me."

I wiped away the trickle of water from my lips before replying. "Okay then, Steve. What can I do for you?"

Steve glanced behind me to look at Loki before facing me again. "Are you aware what he did? How many people he killed and-" I raised my hand and sighed.

"I don't mean to be rude Steve but I will say this only once. I do not care." His blue eyes grew wide for a moment. "Loki and I were together long before the attack. What he did was wrong but I cannot hate him for it. I care for him too much." I paused so my eyes could look at his reaction. Loki was highly interested in what I had to say. "And besides, if he didn't fight half-assed that day he would've succeeded. I wouldn't mind it too much, after I slap him a few times."

Steve and I watched as Loki went from smirking to cringing. He knew that I would not hesitate to hit him hard if he would do such a thing again. Steve and I looked back at each other before he gave me a quick nod and walked away. Loki took a step forward and offered his arm for me. I gazed into his eyes for a long while before giving in and accepting it. Loki's lips moved as he was about to say something until Tony walked in.

"The party has arrived!"

* * *

I took a slice of pizza and cursed when my fingers got burned from the hot cheese. To my right sat Tony and Bruce on the other side of him. Across the table was Clint, Natasha, and Steve. They all had started eating and occasionally watched Loki and I. The slice fell back on my plate and Tony instantly took my hand while I felt Loki grow tension next to me. Tony smirked and lightly kissed my finger tips. "Be careful, they are freshly made."

Loki scoffed and dapped at his face with a napkin. "She can just heal herself." I groaned and all eyes were on me. Loki narrowed his eyes and watched me for a second before sighing. "My Queen, why has your magic weakened so much?"

This was what I wanted to avoid for as long as I could. "Umm,...you see I have been healing myself a lot lately and changing my clothes all together has weakened me quite a bit." Loki shook his head.

"As I have said before, you have developed my silvertongue. Answer me." Tony's hand wrapped around my shoulders and I swore I heard Loki let a small, throaty growl.

"I'm sorry..." I reached over and took a sip from my water that Steve had given me earlier. "I was testing the waters of the advanced spells when I was not ready." Loki swiveled around and placed his hand to my forehead. Tony got real protective and pulled me against him.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Loki groaned and took a deep breath of air.

"Mr. Stark, I need to check and make sure that she hasn't pulled anything or sprained the nerves within her precious mind." Loki reached out more slowly this time and began moving in small circles. This was a treatment that he had taught me to help myself in case he wasn't there to help. What I would do is feel the nerves under the skin that connected to a particular part of my brain, seeing if they were damaged or not. If they were damaged then they would become very sensitive and anything could happen if triggered right.

Bruce suddenly became very interested and leaned on the table closer just as Loki brushed over a nerve just under my hair line. A bolt of purple flashed for a split second, making some of my hair to stand on end. My eyes widen, matching Loki's expression. Silence was broken when Clint and Natasha busted a gut laughing. Steve as concerned while Tony started raining down questions, seeing if I was alright.

Loki took a second and fixed my hair before his hand was swatted from Tony. Loki growled before turning his attention back to me. "Explain yourself, what spell did you dare cast?" The laugher died down to small chuckles. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, fixing it.

Tony's hand rubbed my lower back and I leaned into it for a moment. "Remember the books you gave me?" Loki nodded while Tony snapped his fingers.

"The ones you showed me right?" I smiled and nodded my head. His enthusiasm is charming at times.

"Yes, one in particular holds knowledge about a particular weapon many millenniums ago. The Infinity Gauntlet." Loki narrowed his eyes. "For you all that don't know, the Infinity Gauntlet is a magic glove that is able to bestow powers that are equal to a god. It is powered by the Infinity Gems, six stones that hold individual powers."

Bruce nervously rose his hand and I gave him a nod. "You're saying that a simple stone can power up a glove? Like a generator?" I smiled at Bruce's observation.

"Yes, each stone holds a different power. The first, a red stone called 'Power' can access all of the power that will ever exist and even copy other powers and abilities of others. The second is a orange stone called 'Time', it controls the past, present, and future. It's basically the essence of Father Time. The third is a yellow stone named 'Reality', it can grant any wish, even if it goes against laws of physics and science." I took a deep breath, not realizing that I had caught everyone's attention instantly. "The fourth stone is green, called 'Soul'. This stone allows anyone to have full control of any living or dead soul. The fifth stone is blue and is called 'Mind'. It strengthens mental and psionic power and access the thoughts and dreams of other beings, it was even discovered that it was the personification of the universal subconscious." I took one more breath of air and lowered my eyes to my slice of pizza. "The last is purple, it's called 'Space'. This stone can exist in any or all places in the realms, being able to move through reality itself."

Tony breathed a 'Wow' next to me. Loki had his hands folded on the table in front of him. "My Queen, thank you for the update on that knowledge but what does that have to do with why your decided to use a spell that ended up weakening you so?" I ran my fingers through my hair again and reached to take a drink of the water that Steve had given me.

Once I had time to weave my words together I finally spoke. "After years of not seeing you I began having nightmares of you on a frozen landscape or falling into a void, each time dying while crying out for help. After a few months I finally broke and began frantically searching for a way to find you, just to make sure you were alive." This was the part I knew I was going to get shit for. "Soooo... I produced a spell to search and collect the stone of Space."

The room fell into a moment of silence again, all eyes were wide and staring at me. My eyes glanced to see Tony, shocked and amused. Loki slammed a fist on the table. "You did what?!" I cringed and everyone jumped. Clint and Natasha were already in stances to attack Loki. Steve and Bruce nervously looked at each other, wondering what they should do. Tony stood up and pulled me back.

"Why are you barking at her for?!" Loki stood up, towering slightly over Tony.

"You have no idea how much danger she had put herself through so silence your loose lips, Stark!" Tony went to talk back so I stepped in and placed my hands against his chest.

Tony waited a second until he looked at me. "He is right, Tony. What I did was extremely dangerous and I wasn't thinking at the time." His brown eyes soften as I spoke carefully to him. Once I was sure he had calmed down I turned to Loki. "I-...I found the stone."

His green eyes studied me, as if he could believe my existence. "You? How?"

My hand reached out to rub the back of my head. "Well...I found it but at the time I was so excited that I actually succeeded that I wasn't careful enough and ended up embedding the stone's power within me. I freaked out and began to worry that if I use the power of the stone I might lose control like I use to." My hand dropped and slipped into my pocket. "I didn't dare try using it until I gained enough feel of it, but lately I realized that when I use my magic it ends up getting drained a bit at a time."

Loki fell back into his seat and Tony and I followed. Bruce began to tap his chin while staring off into space. Steve was calming Clint and Natasha down. Tony rubbed his face and sighed in his hands. I began to feel like more of a problem as I stayed here. A snap of fingers made me turn to Tony, out of habit, but it was Bruce who lit up like a light bulb. "I got it!" He stood up and grabbed his plate. "Follow me, everyone!" I raised a eyebrow and everyone looked at each other before we began getting up and heading off to wherever Bruce wanted us.

* * *

Loki's soft hand wrapped around my smaller hand as Tony kept a arm around my shoulders. I felt very confused and torn if I should just push one away now. I hated that it was coming to this, both men were a huge part of me but it seems it will end up with me picking one and losing the other.

We walking into a lab that was clean and had a few different holograms of notes in the air. It looked impressive to me since I never knew our technology had developed so quickly. The room quickly filled up as Tony, Loki and I were standing in the middle of the room. Clint, Natasha and Steve were closer to the only way out of the room. I felt trapped and I could tell that Loki was feeling the same thing when his hand tightened and his thumb began to rub circles on my skin. Bruce was looking at a few different holograms of his notes before spinning around and clasping his hands together.

"First off, Loki." His head snapped up. "You said that you were under the influence of Him? Correct?" Loki nodded his head slowly and tilted it. "Well, with my prior studies of his scepter I learned that the power that it had actually came from another source, a generator." I raised a eyebrow and waited for him to continue. Tony pulled from me and walked up to the notes.

His hands were twitching slightly as he muttered, "A generator..." Bruce nodded, knowing that Tony was catching on to whatever Bruce was getting at.

Bruce smiled and pointed a finger at Loki. "You were under control of Him, your soul was his to use however Him pleased." Loki shuttered and I wondered if we shared the same image. "You are still not getting it?" I shook my head and gave him a apologetic look but Loki became stiff as a board instantly.

"My scepter was receiving power from His generator...the stone Soul! I cannot believe that I had not realized this sooner!" My heart skipped a beat for a second before it finally clicked in my head. Loki was under the influence of the stone, Soul.

Bruce clasped his hands together. "Right! Him has the stone, Soul. Your scepter had been receiving that power, which also gave you the power to compromise others under you." Relief flooded me, we had proof that Loki was innocent. Bruce suddenly walk toward me and pointed his finger again. "You have another generator within you. Space. If we can, we should be able to create a weapon to transfer that power and use against Him." Bruce walked backward and clapped his hands again. "Which means we have a chance at this war. You can counter attack with that power, Riley."

The tension had evaporated and melted into relief and hope. I turned and hugged Loki instantly, laughing happily. Steve clasped Bruce's shoulder and Clint and Natasha smiled fully. Tony smirked and walked up. "I have a few ideas already but...we are going to have to inform the Cyclops soon." Tony cringed. We nodded before we turned to the sudden new presence.

"No need, Stark." Director Fury had stood by the door. His hands were clasped behind his back as he began walking forward and up to Loki. They stared at each other for a long moment, no one daring to interrupt. Fury's hand lifted and extended to Loki. "With this new information I can be certain that you are no threat and are, in fact, not responsible for your actions. It's my belief that we can come to a mutual agreement and work together to stop this being."

Loki was slightly taken back and glanced at the out stretched hand. His own slowly lifted up to grasp Fury's, giving a firm shake. "I thank you, I agree to assist you as much as I can in my current state." That was when Thor popped in my head.

"We need to tell Thor about this so he can tell Odin. Like now!" Everyone agreed and we left the room. Loki pulled me close and wrapped a protective arm around my waist before Tony could do anything about it.

* * *

We stepped outside, the moon and stars shinning brightly. Loki looked up to the sky, a surge of confidence was showing at his stance. "Heimdall! Hear me! We have proof about my innocence! Inform Odin that 'Him' has possession of the Infinity Stone, Soul!" We stood awkwardly, waiting for some kind of response. Loki kept his gaze at the sky and I turned to look at the others. They were probably expecting some kind of firework show. I knew better, we were going to have to wait a second since the travels of word could take a while.

After a minute went by Tony sighed loudly. I gave him a glare of annoyance while he kicked invisible dirt. "What are we suppose to do now?" Loki remained silent and I chuckled.

"You do realize that we are trying to talk to people in another realm?" Tony gave me a bored expression and shrugged his shoulders. I rolled my eyes at him and turned back to the black sky. "It shouldn't be long." After two seconds past a horde of clouds started coming in, a storm building in a matters of seconds. I heard Loki grumble something about Thor being a show off with his powers.

A flash of red came flying and landed a few feet away from Loki. Thor stood up with his hammer tightly in his grasp and a bright smile plastered on his face. Loki hunched over and waited for Thor to run over and tackle his brother. We were not disappointed. "BROTHER! I knew that you would not commit such horrendous crimes against these Migarians!" I tried to hold back a laugh at the scene. Loki was suspended about three feet in the air, his legs slightly kicking the air and his thin body getting crushed within Thor's embrace.

Everyone wasn't as nice and laughed at poor Loki, especially Tony and Clint. Loki threw his head back and let out a half-hearted growl. "Let me down, Brother!" Thor froze and pulled Loki back but not letting him down on the ground fully yet. Loki was confused and stared at Thor. "What is the matter?"

Thor looked as if he could break down into tears. "You called me brother." He gently placed Loki on the ground. "I miss it." Loki realized his mistake and shook his head. "Heimdall informed Father and I of the news. We were surprised and he sent me to gain this proof that you spoke of."

Loki rubbed his arms and nodded his head. "Yes, Dr. Banner has the information since he was the one who figured it out." We turned to Bruce who nodded and motioned for Thor to follow. He smiled and eagerly went after Bruce back inside.

I crossed my arms and looked at Loki, a smile firmly placed on my lips. Loki glanced at me and was confused with my stance. I giggled and poked his side. "You care about him, you like your brother." My eyebrows wiggled and Loki was instantly appalled.

"What are you going on about?! I have no feelings for Thor!" I laughed loudly and groaned when my side began to hurt and cramp.

"I mean that you love Thor like a brother should. Don't deny it, Loki." Loki scoffed and threw his hands in the air dramatically.

"I let one thing slip up and now you are, how do you put it? 'On my case'." We began walking forward, heading back inside. I wanted to finish my pizza before we went back to sleep. Tony snickered at Loki, distracting him as he swiftly picked me off my feet and skipped off with me in his arms. "Stark!"

I yelped in surprise and playfully smack Tony's arm. He turned back to the others as we reached the door. "Ya' snooze, ya' loose Reindeer Games!" And then Tony slipped inside, leaving Loki pissed off. I sighed and rubbed my temples at his behavior.

"I at least want to eat my damn slice of pizza." Tony stopped, thought about it, and finally shrugged his shoulders before turning back to the room that had the pizza and drinks earlier.

* * *

**I already have a badass idea for Riley's weapon but I am curious as to where your imagination takes you. If Riley would posses a weapon to absorb the stone's powers, what would it be? I already know what it is but it won't be coming until later. Give me your ideas for fun and if I like it better than my current idea then I will change it and give you props for it when the times comes to introduce the weapon. See ya' next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! Yes I did think of the chapter on my own. I'm glad everyone liked it so much, it makes straining my brain worth it. Haha, just kidding!**

* * *

My feet walked down the strangely empty hallways, heading to meet up with Bruce. I took Riley to bed with me last night, and no I don't mean I had sex with her, we just cuddled. Which was fine for me. It felt nice, being able to hold someone and being held. I remember when Pepper use to comfort me like that, especially when I would go a little nuts in the middle of the night. Those were some pretty awkward nights.

I stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath before walking inside the lab. The door opened and Bruce slightly jumped. "Huh? Oh, hey Tony. What are you doing up? It's before noon."

I chuckled at Bruce's joke and moved aside so he could walk. We walked together down the hallway that I recognized to be the kitchen. Bruce went ahead and made himself some tea while I made coffee. My thoughts going back to late night. Loki and Riley were getting too close for comfort, my comfort. I know he would do anything to get Riley for himself, I would too, but doesn't mean I would just let her go easily. I felt a hand pat my shoulder. I turned to see Bruce pointing at my coffee that was overflowing my mug. "Shit! Fuck! Hot!"

Bruce laughed and handed me a rag. "Tony, is everything okay? Your acting...well almost normal by human standards." I rolled my eyes as he crossed his arms. "I might as well start expecting things from you like being on time and being nice to people." I turned to Bruce and smirked before flicking excess coffee at him.

"Well, we wouldn't want that now would we?" Bruce sighed and wiped his face. I took a sip of my coffee and frowned. "You're right, I'm a little off. I have been thinking about what happened yesterday."

Bruce reached over to pick up his weird herbal drink and took a sip too. "Yeah, I don't blame you. I have been thinking about it a lot too." He ran his fingers to fix his curly hair. "Right now we can't stress about that it is happening. We need to focuse on saving our planet, starting with getting Riley's weapon design ready to build."

I nodded and we went back towards the lab, our feet walking on metal being the only sound that could be heard. We reached the room and walked in, papers scattered across Bruce's desk and small little gizmos on mine. Bruce set his tea down and shuffled his papers together and I picked up a piece of metal that was one a part of Loki's staff-spear thingy. The golden color shined brilliantly in the light. Small markings were made on the bottom. I noticed that there wasn't barely any kind of scratches or dents, like Cap's shield. "I wonder why that is..."

"You wonder what is?" My head snapped up to Bruce.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I was speaking out loud." I walked up to him, holding the piece of metal with me. "I know I have mentioned this when we first studied this before but now...does it seem like it is, like, healing itself...or something?" Bruce picked it up and adjusted his glasses.

Bruce flipped it around and handed it back to me. "I know that it had been damaged, but you're right. It does look like it is fixing itself." I flipped it in my hand as I made my way back to my desk.

"How strange..." My voice was trailing off until I heard the door open. Caps walked in wearing a white shirt with sweat pants. It was obvious he was working out for a while. "Hey Spangles! Whatcha doin' here?"

He froze and pointed a finger at me and turned to Bruce. "He is up? Before noon?" Bruce smiled and nodded. Caps was surprised and walked over to me. "Well...I guess it's a day for firsts." I gave him a questionable look and he sighed. "I went to your run to wake Riley up, getting her started on her training with everyone. When I opened the door..." I clenched my fist and narrowed my eyes. Caps jumped back and held up his hands. "No! No, it was nothing like that. She said it was okay for me to come in...I just wasn't expecting a strange purple glow covering her before a set of clothes just appeared out of nowhere."

I blinked and laughed. "That must've been interesting to see." He sighed and rubbed his head. "So, you and Riley were training this morning?" Caps shook his head.

"No, her and Loki said they need to find the source of the stone within her before she could train physically." I looked at him and he shrugged his shoulders. "Natasha and Clint are watching them, don't give me that look."

I rubbed my face and sat down in my seat. Caps spoke with Bruce for a while. I didn't listen because I honestly didn't care for what they have to say. I tried to put my attention on a way to create a weapon like Loki's, something that we can manipulate the power cursing through her and attack. My thoughts kept going back to creating her a suit but I knew that it may be too much for her on such short notice. We needed to create something light, flexible, and deadly.

I picked up a excess magnet in my hand and began to spin it around my finger, trying to give my mind a idea. "Tony?" My eyes looked up to Bruce, not paying attention to the old magnet, and accidently launched at Caps. It smacked him in his temple and he slightly flinched.

"Shit, sorry Caps..." I walked over to him and picked it up, staring at it before looking meeting their faces. "...That's it!" They jumped and I rushed over back to my desk, grabbing a pen and instantly jotted down my ideas.

* * *

I strolled down to the kitchen again. It was about noon and once I had come up with several ideas I wouldn't stop until I was sure I had everything down. I hadn't eaten anything yet so I was growing very hungry and needed to at least get some donuts in me. When I walked in it was a lot more crowed with agents sitting at the tables eating salads and sandwiches. I walked past them and went up to the small trays of cakes and donuts. I picked up a napkin and grabbed two donuts, chocolate with vanilla cream. Freakin' delicious.

I took one bite and turned to leave when I caught the sight of Riley sitting with Tasha, Clint, and Reindeer Games. Without a second thought I strolled over to them and sat down next to Riley. "Hey there beautiful." She raised a eyebrow and picked up her own napkin, wiping away whatever was on my face.

"Hello, Tony. What are you doing?" I swallowed and made myself comfortable, placing a arm around her shoulders.

"Nothing, I think I have come up with a perfect idea for your weapon." She beamed, making me get slightly warm. "Yeah, I was up around nine this morning working-"

Tasha lifted her hand and narrowed her eyes on me. "You mean you have been up, not just got up?" I was not amused.

"Yes, I have been up for three hours now." Clint and Tasha shared looks before turning to Riley.

Clint chuckled and crossed his arms. "I'm surprised that you could be such a influence on him." She giggled and even though I was highly annoyed her sweet giggle made it alright.

"I honestly am not doing anything." Riley shrugged and took a sip of her Pepsi. "I don't think I have that kind of affect on him."

I took another bite of my donut. "Hey, *Munch* I'm still here." They weren't impressed. Riley rolled her eyes and turned to Loki.

"So, you said that I need to figure out how to call upon it, right?" He nodded and leaned forward.

"Yes, My Queen. I was able to call upon it because of my emotions. It triggers a response, but remember this is not like your natural born magic. This was implanted in you." He reached over and took a drink of his water. "I suggest we see what can trigger your emotions the easiest."

I was not catching on. "Um...Review? Prequel? Anybody?" Tasha and Clint chuckled.

Riley sighed and answered. "Today Loki and I were able to find where Space was hiding inside of me. It's in the area where my Brain Steam meets my spine. Which makes sense as to why I get exhausted while using magic now." I looked at the back of her neck and began to rub the area she was talking about.

She flinched and I stopped. "Does it hurt?" She waited a second before shaking her head slowly.

"No, it's not that. Remember, last night when Loki was rubbing my head to feel my nerves?" I nodded. "If a bundle of nerves gets touched in a way they don't like then my magic can react unconsciously." I went to pull away but forced myself to stay. She looked at me funny so I gave her a friendly smile and gently rubbed her back, between her shoulder blades. She sighed and leaned into my touch, making Loki glare at me and I smirked at him in return.

Clint flipped open his phone and shared a look with Tasha. "It's about time. You ready?" She nodded and got up.

"We have our own training we need to get to." Tasha reached over and took Riley's hand and gave it a firm shake. "We will meet up later to finish up." Riley smiled and waved as they left. I was at a loss for what happened.

"Riley? Since when did you too become friends? Did she beat you up and you both decide to call it even?" Riley rolled her eyes and reached over to smack the side of my head.

"Be nice." Loki snickered. "We have a mutual understanding. That's the magic about friendship between women. We can come together when we find something in common that we both hate." That was never a good thing but I figured I should let it go for now. I got up and quickly finished the last of my donut. I wiped my face with my napkin and offered my hand to her.

"Let's go, I want to show you what I've come up with." Riley smiled sadly at me and my own smile fell.

"Sorry Tony, I have more practice with Loki." They both got up. "I will come by the lab when I get a chance. Give my regards to Bruce." She reached up and kissed my cheek before leaving with Loki. I was not happy about this and turned to follow them, wondering what they were doing exactly.

* * *

I walked up to a doorway that led to the outside The sun shined down on Riley and Reindeer Games. They walked about ten to fifteen feet away and sat down on the ground with their legs crossed. Riley lowered her head and Loki lifted both of his hands to wrap around the back of her head. He was saying something but I couldn't hear what he was saying from here. I waited a minute and thought about just going back to the lab until I saw Loki move his hands quickly and shot out so they were around her neck. Riley's head leaned back and her arms went limp with her mouth hanging out wide in a silent scream. I jumped up and ran towards them. "Hey! What are you doing to her?!"

Loki stared at me, keeping his hands around her neck. "Stark...you need to stay where you are. You will-" I pulled back and punched Loki square in his face. His head flipped back and he tumbled a bit.

I grabbed Riley and felt for a pulse. It was slow, very slow. "Riley?!" I went and placed my arms under her. Her face was froze in shock.

"Stark! You can't do that!" I turned around, still crouching next to her.

"The hell I will! I saw what you were doing!" Loki ran up to me, his arms stretched out for her. I pulled her away and aimed to punch him again. "You will not touch her you bastard!" I threw another punch at him but he caught it and threw a punch to my face.

For a guy who is scrawny, he does have quite a bit of strength in him. "Stark! Listen to me before you regret it!" I hunched over and lifted my right leg to kick him in the gut. Something felt like it popped under my shoe but I didn't pay any attention to it at the time.

"Listen to what?! Why is she limp?! Why is her pulse slowing down?!" Loki coughed some blood in his hand. When he looked at it he raised his head to me, murder in his green eyes. "Fuck..." He pounced me and punched me twice in the face before I kicked him off and threw my foot down on his shin before he could get up. He let out a loud grunt and rolled over to his hands and knees, kicking me in the face with his heel.

I fell back down again and groaned. It hurt like a bitch and I was sure that he broke my nose. I pushed myself up and swung around as Loki reached out to grabbed me. He got a hold of my arm and pulled me closer to him and kneed me in my stomach. I gasped as the wind was knocked out of me. That hurt like a bitch but I wasn't going to back out of it know. I blindly reached up to claw at his face so he would let me go. Warm goo was under my finger nails when he finally let me go.

I took a large gulp of air in time for Loki to grabbed me again and flipped me over his shoulder. I landed hard on the metal ground and wasn't able to hold back the scream of pain that I felt. With the hand that held me, I pulled down so Loki's face could land on my fist. His head bounced as he went into a short daze. I took the chance and threw him to the ground and rolled on top of him, grabbing a fist full of his hair.

"Tony! Stop! Now!" I heard Caps' deep voice yell at me. I turned to look at him along with Bruce and Fury running towards us. "Let him go!" I growled and slammed his head down on the ground.

**"ENOUGH!" **We stopped moving and turned to look behind us. Riley hovered above us, her eyes glowing a bright purple color that released a violet haze. Her voice seemed to echo, sending shivers through us all. **"You will stop this child's play!"** She waved her hand and Loki and I separated. The next thing I new I was in the hospital wing, resting on a bed.

"Huh?" I blinked a few times just as a few doctors came running in. I wanted to ask so many questions, I was too tired and let my eyes close heavily.

* * *

I heard faint whispers around me as I began to wake up. My eyes opened to small slits as I was met with Caps, Bruce, Clint, and Fury. I groaned and tried to move to my side, crying out in pain. "Damn...it..."

Bruce moved to my side and offered a pill and a glass of water. I opened my mouth, not being able to feel my arms. Caps sighed and shook his head. "I asked you once what you were capable without your suit." He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Now I know."

I scoffed and licked my bruised lips. "He deserved...it." My voice was horse and croaked slightly. "He was...s-strangling her...her pulse was...s-slowing down." Fury turned and walked out the door just as Thor can in. Now I was fucked.

"Man of Iron." His voice was loud or over powering. Instead it was low and deadly, something that actually scared the piss out of me. "Why have you tried to take my brother's life? Are we not friends now?"

I swallowed and cringed at the taste of blood. Bruce patted his shoulder and Clint spoke up. "Tony thought your brother was trying to kill Riley."

I adjusted myself, moving up and almost sat up on my own. "I know...what I saw." Thor was confused and crossed his arms.

"There is a misunderstanding, Man of Iron." I raised my eyebrow at him.

"What do...you mean?" Steve pulled out a chair and sat down. "Where's...Riley...and Tasha?"

Clint gave me a smug smile. "They are both with Loki, healing his wounds." My eyes widen and I felt betrayed.

"What-" I began hacking over the white blanket, red spot staining the fabric. "Riley...is with him?!"

Steve held onto my arm. "Tony, you attacked him. You didn't even give him a chance to explain himself." I pulled out of his hold and flinched as my sore muscles yelled in protest.

Fury walked back into the room with Riley behind him. The room was dead silent, our eyes locked on each other. I blinked once and sucked in a breath of air. "Riley...your eyes." She stepped forward, Thor and Clint moving out of her way. "Are they...purple?" Riley was emotionless as she stared at me.

"Everyone, please leave. I need to concentrate." Fury left first with Bruce, Steve and Clint behind him. Thor waited a second before leaving as well. She looked towards the door and walked over, locking it and moving back to my side. "You, are a bastard." I was taken back.

"Riley, I saw...him choking...you!" She shook her head and placed her finger tips over my neck were my vocal cords were.

"Loki sustained two dislocated ribs, a fractured nose, four deep cuts in his face, and a light concussion." I smiled at the list she gave me. I know that Loki was basically human now but it does feel good to know I managed that all on my own. "Stop laughing Tony!" I jumped at her voice randomly and looked up to her. She refused to meet my eyes and looked over my body. "You have a broken nose, a fractured eye socket, one broken rib, two dislocated ribs, a bruised back, and four broken finger nails." She met my eyes and frowned. "Taking in the different battle wounds the both of you have, I say Loki won."

She turned her back to me and walked over to a metal tray. "Riley..." I was at a lost of words. She was very upset with me, to put it nicely. Riley faced me again with a curved pair of scissors and began to cut away my shirt. I wanted to tell her that I was sorry, that I was stupid and I was just scared of losing her.

"Why didn't you give him a chance to explain himself?" Her voice sounded softer this time around.

"I-" I swallowed my dry throat and avoided her judging eyes. "I saw Loki...choking you... You went limp and I got scared." She shook her head and placed her hands over my chest. I clenched my teeth as a wave of pain washed over me.

"That is no excuse for your behavior." Great! It sounded like I was getting scolded by my mother. "Tony, I have known Loki my whole life. He saved my life and helped me through my problems. Why would he hurt me now?" Damn women and their rational argument.

I sucked in a sharp breath of air when I felt two ribs pop back into place. "Damn!..." She moved her right hand further up. "I...I don't know what to say." My voice started coming back to me. "I got scared that I was going to lose you." She shook her head and turned to grabbed my hand, checking my black nails. Her faces scrunched up and I didn't blame her since I held the same expression. "Ew."

She brushed her thumbs over the nails and they slowly began to fall off and land on the bed. I wanted to gag at the sight and of the weak smell of dying flesh. Riley kept her cool and brushed over the skin again and a set of new finger nails began to grow quickly. "You're lucky that I am doing this for you."

"How are able to do this anyway?" She brushed off the fingernails to the floor and sat down, bringing her hands to my face. "You're eyes are purple and your healing has grown so much more stronger now." I thought about it and realized that her eyes were the same color glow she had earlier. "And what was with that thing you did before I got here? You were flying and your eyes had amazing glow to it! Not to mention your voice was freaky." She gently placed a hand over my lips and I took the hint, staying quiet.

She carefully caressed her finger tips over my right eye a couple of times. The small pain that was there had settled down to a mild annoyance. She moved her fingers from my eye to my nose. I flinched and she sighed. "Try to stay still, I know it hurts." I did what she said and let her touch my swollen nose, even though the pain made me almost want to cry. Almost. "Tony...Loki and I were trying to figure out a way to connect to Space's powers." I watched her as she watched me. "We needed to search my brain for the right emotion that would best connect with Space, tapping to its powers as best as I can on short notice."

I raised a eyebrow. "By choking you?" She shook her head, not entertained at all.

"He wasn't choking me, he was...trying to bring me to the state of being aroused." A faint blush came over her.

"What?..." I was at a lost and she sigh dramatically while rolling her eyes.

"I need to have my heart race at a fast pace so I can tap in Space's powers. Earlier today we had tried fear and anger but it wasn't working. So we were going to attempt being aroused." Her hands left my face and rested in her lap. "Loki was sending signals of pleasure through me to try and trigger a response. When you came and pulled him away my heart...um, it kinda freaked out and forced itself to slow down as fast as it could. Thus making my pulse slower than what it should've been."

Damn...I felt like a asshole. I nearly got her killed because I thought she was getting killed. "Riley, I'm so sorry. I got scared, I didn't want to lose you, especially to him." She smiled softly at me and leaned forward, pressing a light kiss to my forehead. "But...it seems that you succeeded in tapping with Space. How did you do it?"

She blushed again and rubbed the back of her head. "Heh! Well...Loki and I were right about our hypothesis. It was arousal." I blinked and stared at her. "I was...um...quite turned on by your guy's fight." Her face was beat red by now, bringing the purple out even more.

"Well...I will have to remember that next time." She snapped her head towards me and smack the side of my head. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"There will NOT be a next time! If you and Loki get into another fight like that again I will not bother healing you. I will leave you here to suffer!" She jumped off the bed and placed her fists on her hips. I chuckled at her and tried to sit up but cringed and laid back down. "I haven't healed your back yet, and I won't until tomorrow. That's your punishment."

She straightened herself out and stepped closer. "What are you going to do now?" She ran her fingers through her hair.

"I'm going to go and check on Loki. Bruce and Thor have volunteered to watch over you while I'm gone."

I frowned at the mention of Thor. "Riley, Thor is going to kill me." I let my bottom lip quiver while I gave her my best puppy dog eyes. She leaned forward and kissed my bottom lip. I went to kiss her fully but she pulled away too quickly and now I was really pouting. "No fair!"

She smirked and turned towards the door. "Thor won't kill you, Bruce won't allow it." She unlocked the door and opened it, turning back to me. "Rest. Tomorrow I will finish healing you." She was out the door before I could say anything else. So I sat back and waited for Bruce and Thor to come back.


End file.
